Finding What Was Lost
by Jekyll.CATS.Sisi24601
Summary: There was a time in which Demeter, Munkustrap, Tugger, Bombalurina, and Macavity were all close friends. But with time, things change. Then, one day, Demeter and Munkustrap move to push against the force of what was considered "acceptable" and try to mend what they'd lost. Told from Demeter's POV!
1. Chapter 1

So, this is my first time writing a fanfic here so… yeah. I've written tons of fanfics before but it's my first time actually posting one anywhere. I'm kinda psyched about it but I'm also kind of horrified. _Anyways…_ please rate and review! I'd love to hear your feedback!

I don't own any of the characters or any of CATS.

Told from Demeter's POV!

" _Stop being such a spoilsport, Munk." Macavity murmured, shaking his head at his younger half-brother. "Demie just fell. She'll be fine in no time. Why should she get to ruin everyone's fun?"_

 _Munkustrap didn't say anything but rather just sat out beside me. "You're right. You guys keep on playing. I'll sit out with Demeter a few rounds. Fair?"_

" _No!" Tugger exclaimed, pawing at his elder brother's leg. "If you sit out then Macavity's team will completely demolish ours. You know that we'll lose!"_

" _It's just a game, Tug." Munk replied. "Besides, you'll find some other way of getting back at Macavity."_

" _But we have to win."_

" _Stop whining, Tug." Macavity murmured. "It's not an attractive trait."_

 _Once the brothers were done bickering, Munk sat beside me outside of the area that we'd claimed as ours for playing._

" _Tug seems sad. I think that you should just go out and play again."_

 _He smiled. "Tug will get over it."_

 _I didn't say anything. Tug_ did _get over things quickly. One minute, he could be whining about something. The next, he'd be his usual self._

" _Besides, I was a little tired." He said reassuringly. "I needed a break."_

 _I knew that he was lying. Munk never got tired. He was always ready for another game. It wasn't until Bombalurina and I were called in by our mother that our games ever ended. We would play through storm and sunshine._

 _Nonetheless, despite my knowledge that he was lying, it did manage to make me smile and to feel a little bit better._

###

I was called out of my memories when Bomba called for me to come inside. I stretched out on the hood of a car that had been left in the junkyard.

"You go on in. I might just stay out here tonight." I yawned.

Bomba frowned. "Why? It's late. Hurry up-!"

"Look at the moon! Isn't it splendid?"

My sister shot her eyes heavenward and then, after holding her gaze there for a moment, dropped her eyes back to me. "If you say so. I'm going inside. You should too, Demie."

"You go on in. I want to sleep out here tonight."

Shaking her head at me, my sister went inside with a huff. I rolled onto my back to look at the stars.

"Good night for stargazing, huh?"

I jumped and fled from the hood of the car to hide in an empty trashcan. The voice had come out of nowhere and had startled me.

I heard that sound of someone landing softly on the ground beside me and my hiding place and when a face peeked into the garbage can, I could barely make out the white and black stripes when the moonlight caught the culprit's fur.

"Sorry." He said faintly. "I'd forgotten that you scare easily."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I hissed as I slowly crawled out of my hiding place.

He shrugged. "I just… I saw you sitting there and I thought that maybe you wanted someone to talk to. Or maybe _I_ wanted someone to talk to. That's possible too."

I didn't say anything but rather just examined the features of the tom responsible for the scare. There was something about the patterns of his fur that reminded me of someone I'd known before.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he asked.

"I might remember. I just… the moonlight is messing everything up, that's all. You do look familiar-."

"Munkustrap." He said plainly, cutting me off as he turned his face up to look at the stars.

I didn't need the name to be said twice. My jaw dropped slightly and I shook my head. " _Munk?_ But we… well… we haven't talked in years!"

He inclined his head in what seemed to be a nod. "We grew apart, I guess. Happens with kits, I suppose."

"I never forgot, you know?" I replied. "In fact, I was just remembering that time when I got hurt and you-."

He chuckled. " _Which_ time you got hurt?" he asked humorously.

I smiled a little. "Well, we were all playing together—I guess we always were back then—and I'd hurt myself but I kept playing because I knew that Mac-." I stopped myself before I could say the name. It was a name that no one in the junkyard ever mentioned anymore unless it was with good reason. "Well, I knew that people would laugh and tell me that I was being a baby. So I kept playing and it got worse. You sat out with me because you thought I might be lonely. You never said as much—you only said that you were tired. But oh, Tugger was mad at you for sitting out."

He laughed, nodding. "I think I might remember."

We laughed and exchanged memories—some of which the other had forgotten. It was easy to fall back into our old rhythm. It was as if we'd never been separated in the first place.

"Why did we stop playing together?" I wondered aloud, shaking my head.

"Why do kits stop playing?" he retaliated.

It was a good question and one that I didn't have answer for. I couldn't remember the exact day in which we'd just _stopped_. It would've happened gradually—of that I was certain. And yet, at the same time, it seemed to have just happened suddenly.

"But it doesn't have to be like that forever, right?" I asked in return, surprising myself a little. "I mean, things like _this_ —where old friends come together again—do happen right?"

He smiled. It was when he smiled that he looked most like the Munkustrap that I'd known when we were kits. "Yes, I suppose that things like _this_ do happen."

"I see you around a lot." I admitted. "You always seem to be busy—always hustling about. I don't know why I never went out and talked to you. I guess that maybe I thought that you wouldn't be happy to see me."

He blinked. "Why would you think that?"

I shrugged weakly. "I don't know."

"It gets lonely sometimes." He sighed, shaking his head. "Being the protector of the tribe, knowing that one day I will be the Jellicle leader. It's almost as if no one wants to befriend me or truly get to know me sometimes. I'll walk by and no one stops to make conversation. They just nod respectfully and continue on. As if getting to know me is dangerous."

I inhaled sharply. Munk had sat out with me because he thought that I might be lonely. As if loneliness was one of the sharpest, bitterest blows that could be dealt to someone. And yet, there he was, telling me about his own loneliness.

"And then, Tug… Tug goes around making friends with everyone. Bomba still talks to _him_ but not to me."

"I never knew that you-."

"It's okay." He said, sitting up straighter, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have-."

"Munk, you were there for me when we were kits." I reminded him, holding out a paw to him. He looked at me uncertainly.

"Demie, you shouldn't. Not if you feel obligated-."

"I don't feel _obligated_." I said. "I'm lonely too, you know? Not in the same way as you are. But I spend every day wondering why we let all of it fall apart. We were all friends once. We all loved each other's company. Why can't it be like that again?"

His forehead creased in thought. "It won't be the same."

"Of course not." I agreed. "But then, we're not the same as we were back then either. We grew up."

He nodded. "Okay." He gulped and I nodded, urging for him to take my paw.

He stared at me for a moment and then, finally, he reached out for me.


	2. Chapter 2

Posting two chapters today just to really kick off this fanfic!

Please rate and review!

I don't own any of the characters nor do I own CATS.

Told from Demeter's POV!

I lumbered into the den early in the morning. Bomba batted me away when I checked up on her, murmuring something about how she, more than anything, wished I'd just leave her alone so that she could sleep.

So I curled up on my blanket and yawned. I hadn't gotten much sleep. Munk and I had spent the night talking—remembering, hoping, and dreaming. I wanted to tell Bomba that I'd talked to him and that everything was going to change. But even as I curled up, I felt my eyelids become heavy and as I realized I was nodding off to sleep, I tried to force my eyes open.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Bomba called to me.

 _She's in a good mood_. I thought to myself as I groggily sat up and arched my back, stretching.

I stumbled into the kitchen where my sister nudged a dead mouse in my direction. "Sleep well?" she asked.

"Not particularly."

"I thought that you were going to sleep outside." She replied, shaking her head. "I thought that you said that it was peaceful out there and that you-."

"I didn't end up sleeping out there."

Bomba's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I was talking to Munkustrap-."

"Munkustrap?!" Bomba exclaimed. "Demie, you didn't-!"

"What's wrong with it? There was a time in which you, me, Tug, Munk, and Mac-." I stopped myself as I saw my sister tense. "Sorry. You, me, Tug, and Munk all used to play together out there, remember? We were all friends and-."

She sighed. "I know. But sometimes we have to leave the past in the past."

"Why?" I asked. "You still talk to Tugger! I see you. You're _always_ hanging around him!"

"Things change, Demie. _We_ change."

"But Munk's lonely! Don't you know that?"

" _Munkustrap_." She corrected me. "His name is 'Munkustrap'. Not 'Munk'. He's going to be the next Jellicle leader. You can't call him by a childhood nickname. It's not proper, nor is it polite."

"I called him 'Munk' all last night and he never once scolded me." I whispered. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it _matters_ , Demie!" Bomba sighed. "Do you hear Old Deuteronomy being called by nicknames? Even his own sons call him by name. Because that's what's _right_."

"Munk isn't the Jellicle leader—not yet. And you said it yourself: things change. Why can't rules change too? Besides, I don't think that there _are_ rules about this sort of thing!"

"There are _unspoken_ rules."

I stared down at the mouse lying lifeless at my paws, struggling not to cry. My sister looked over at me and sighed, walking over to me slowly. She nuzzled her face against mine comfortingly.

"I know it's tough, Dem. But it has to be this way." She whispered, smoothing out my fur gently. "Now, eat up and let's have no more talk of all of this. Tugger wants to take a group of us to the lake that's a few blocks away from the junkyard. You can come with us, if you want."

I shook my head. "I think I'll stay back." I replied quietly and she nodded.

"Okay, Demie. Okay. You should rest. You didn't sleep much."

I curled up on my blanket as soon as I finished my breakfast, pretending to be asleep until Bomba left the den to go and join Tugger and the others. When their laughter and chatter faded off in the distance, I quietly crawled out of my bed and out to the doorway. The sun was bright and nigh on blinding.

After a moment of allowing my eyes to adjust, I stepped out onto the pavement and hurried across the junkyard, searching for Munkustrap. When I didn't catch sight of him, I scolded myself for being so foolish and thinking that he'd be out there, waiting for me. After all, he hadn't gotten much sleep either and I was more than willing to bet that Tugger didn't wake _him_ up, asking him if he'd like to go out and rest by the lake. It was more than likely that he was still asleep somewhere, savoring the hours of quiet before the young ones got up and created a ruckus.

I sat myself down on my usual spot on the hood of the red car in the corner of the junkyard and yawned. I was tired and yet, at the same time, I was too excited to sleep. And so I thought about everything that Bomba had said to me that morning.

" _His name is 'Munkustrap'. Not 'Munk'."_

" _Things change, Demie._ We _change."_

I sighed. I hated arguing with her. It never ended well and I couldn't stand her being angry at me. But nonetheless, there were some things that I had to stand my ground on. This was one of those things.

Closing my eyes, I could feel the hot sun on my eyelids. I gingerly turned away from the sun so that I could more comfortably rest. I felt sleep take me and I, at long last, felt the weight of my eyelids alleviated.

I woke to the sound of the kits of the tribe playing and knocking over pieces of scrap metal that had been left behind and forgotten by humans.

"Didn't want to wake you, but I guess that the kittens did that for me."

I turned to find Munkustrap sitting on the hood of the car beside me.

"Good morning." I said, blushing a little. "Er… I… well… I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you. I guess that I thought you might be asleep."

"I was. But then, when I came looking for _you_ , you were asleep." He laughed. "It was a long night. I thought that I should let you sleep."

I smiled, stretching out on the hood of the car a little. "Tugger and the others went out to the lake."

"Mhmm. He was saying something about that earlier when I saw him. You should have gone."

I shrugged. "I don't really care for the lake much. Besides, I thought that you and I were going to do something today."

"We never really got around to planning what that 'something' would be though, did we?" he laughed and I nodded.

I thought about it a little. "Last year, Bomba made me go with her to the woods." I remembered. "I had more fun than I cared to admit."

"Lead the way." He said, gesturing for me to go ahead of him.

We climbed through piles of junk before we finally got out of the junkyard and out into the world beyond.

"Munk?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" he asked, looking back at the junkyard for a moment before hurrying to catch up with me.

"I was talking to Bomba this morning. And well… she said that it wasn't right to call you 'Munk'. That as the future Jellicle leader, I ought to well… call you by your given name."

For a moment, Munk didn't say anything and I thought that might be angry at me.

"A lot of people think that." He said at long last. "Doesn't mean that you have to listen to them, Demie. You can call me whatever on earth you'd like."

I smiled at that and gestured for him to hurry up.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own CATS nor do I own any of the characters.**

###

When I arrived back at home mid-afternoon, I was pleased to find that Bomba wasn't home yet. It spared me from having to lie to her. It spared me from having to explain myself. I didn't want to have to explain myself—why should I? Who was she to tell me who I could and couldn't be friends with? And who was she to let Munk suffer through his loneliness alone? We'd all been friends once. Why did that have to change?

Bomba didn't understand being alone—she didn't understand not having anyone in the world to turn to. But I did. Over the years, I'd isolated myself. After everything that had happened, I couldn't bear being close to anyone like I'd been with Macavity all those years ago. His betrayal of the Jellicles had hurt everyone. But I never got over it. It wasn't unusual for Bomba to sigh and tell me that the only way I was going to be able to move on was by trying again and regaining my trust in others. But the possibility of being hurt again ran too deep.

Until I'd seen the loneliness in Munk's eyes. And then, in that moment, I realized that perhaps, I wasn't the only one who was unable to move on. After all, Munk was Macavity's half-brother and when he'd been cast out… Munk was forced to take on responsibilities that he'd formerly never had a care for. Responsibilities he'd never even wanted but had no choice but to take on. Even if he had had a choice, he would have taken them on anyways. He wouldn't have been able to say 'no'. He'd have felt compelled to take all of it onto his shoulders for no other reason other than that it was right.

I had never been able to find the strength within me to move past what Macavity had done, but Munk never had the time. And, perhaps, we could be each other's way of moving on. Perhaps… just perhaps we could help each other. True, we had differing reasons for being unable to step out of the past. Me, because I still couldn't believe that the tom that I'd been friends with as a child could do such treacherous things. Munk, because he hadn't had his time to cope before being thrust into a world that he never saw as his.

But all the same, I _knew_ Munkustrap. I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. And if what Bomba said was true—that I needed to give the world a chance to show me that not all friends end up betraying you—Munkustrap could show me that. And by that same token, Munkustrap knew _me_. He knew me before he'd been forced into this new world of protecting the junkyard and all of the expectations that came with that. And if he could have a piece of that world he'd known before—me—perhaps, it'd be easier for him to come to terms that he was a part of this new world now.

I smiled a little at this realization that Bomba was wrong—that I'd just proved that to myself. And if I was able to better myself through all of this—if I was able to move on—Bomba wouldn't be able to say anything bad about my renewed friendship with Munkustrap—Munk. Perhaps even she'd befriend him again.

And then, all of it would be worth it.

###

I was running through the junkyard, every step careful yet urgent. My breaths were becoming short and labored but I refused to stop running. I was determined not to lose.

 _Not this time._

Foolishly, I took a glance behind me, which slowed me down. Munk was catching up, closing in. He had let me have a head start, but his legs were longer than mine, giving him an advantage. He grinned at me when his eyes met mine but I hurriedly turned away from him, unwilling to let him distract me.

As I determinedly picked up my pace, I felt my foot snag on a branch lying on the ground, accelerating me forward and onto the ground. Munk effectively zipped past me to the place we'd set as our goal. As I saw him reach the goal, I groaned and let my chin fall onto the ground, exasperated. When he returned, he smiled down at me.

"Want to go again?" he asked, smiling at me. "I've won best two out of three… want to go for best of nine?"

"We're jumping from three to nine?" I asked and he shrugged, his smile never failing.

"I thought I'd give you time to catch up."

"I think I need a break." I admitted and he laughed.

"Fine with me." He said. "But, only on one condition."

I blinked and I sighed. "And what might that condition be?"

"That you don't stop looking at me like I'm normal." He shrugged. "You know… even after I become the Jellicle leader. Just… you know… always look at me like I'm your friend and not the leader of the tribe. Promise me that?"

" _That's_ your condition?" I gaped at him and he inclined his head away from me a little in embarrassment. "Munk, I-."

"It was stupid-."

"No, it wasn't." I replied, stopping him. "I just want you to know that you don't have to make me promise these sorts of things. But… if it makes it better, yeah, I'll promise."

He smiled and nuzzled me a little. "Thanks."

"So… about that break…"

"Want to head to the lake and see what Tugger and the others are up to?"

My eyes widened. "You're not serious-."

He laughed. "No, luckily for the both us, no, I'm not serious."

I exhaled deeply. "Thank goodness for that."

"You hate the lake that much?"

"I hate water. Can't even stand to be out in the rain."

He smiled. "Now that you mention it… it always was that way, huh? I guess I'd forgotten."

"You, Tug, Bomba, and-. Well… you always tried to get me to come out. You all always seemed to like splashing about in puddles."

Laughing a little, he nodded. "Yeah, I guess we did."

"Bomba would always come in soaked and our mother would scold her to no end. She'd always scowl at me as Mama would dry her off as if it were my fault for being sensible enough to stay inside." I grinned.

"Sometimes we'd get scolded too." He remembered. "I wonder if kits still do that—jump around in puddles and such."

"I think that getting in trouble is a universal thing amongst kits. Though I'll admit… I can barely picture you getting into trouble even back then."

"Things were different." He shrugged. "Sometimes I wish it could be like that again." He added, smiling a little. Although he was smiling, I could see a trace of sadness lurking beneath that smile.

"I don't think that there's anything wrong with that." I whispered. "Wishing that things were like they used to be again, I mean. A lot of the time, I wish things were different too. But well… there's no point dwelling on the past, right?"

"I suppose not." He admitted after a moment. "But it can be hard."

I nodded. "Yeah… it can be. But we can help each other, can't we?"

As I saw a smile spread across his features, I felt like perhaps, we might make it out of this stronger.

###

"Where were you?" Bomba asked when I walked into the den.

 _Let the interrogation begin._ I thought to myself as I looked to my sister and saw that her expression was angry.

"I was out."

"Clearly."

"Bomba, maybe I'm trying to get out a little more. What's wrong with that? How was your day with Tugger?" I asked, doing my best to change the subject but it was immediately apparent that my sister was not going to let me off that easily.

"Who were you with?"

I sighed. "Does it really matter?"

"You never go out, Demie. And when you do, it's on your own and it's right outside the den. You were nowhere to be found. So yes, it does matter. I'm worried about you. So tell me who you were with and we'll drop the subject."

"If I tell you, do you promise to drop the subject immediately?"

"Demie-!"

" _Immediately_." I insisted.

"Fine, fine. Yes. I promise."

"I was with Munkustrap." I said firmly. "And that's that. So how was your day with Tugger out at the lake? How was everyone?"

Her eyes widened in shock and disappointment in me when Munkustrap's name escaped my lips. "Tugger was fine. Everyone else was fine." She said tersely. "So, what were you and-?"

"You said that you'd drop the topic." I reminded her.

"I will not discuss your choice to go against my counsel and hang around with Munkustrap. What I want to know is what you two were doing and where you went." I opened my mouth in protest but Bomba surged on. "I'm worried about you, Demie. This won't end well. I can feel it. But if you want to play with fire, then that's your choice and not mine. But what I want you to do is tell me where you were-."

"I don't see why it matters! You rarely tell me where you go with Tugger-."

"It matters because you're my sister!" she cried desperately. "And I don't want you to get hurt."

"Munk is far less dangerous to be with than Tugger." I murmured.

"But Tugger isn't going to be the next Jellicle leader."

"Munk wasn't _supposed_ to be the next Jellicle leader! Heavyside knows that he didn't want it either. It got cast upon him when-." I stopped myself. Bomba's eyes narrowed as if daring me to continue on and to finish my sentence. Usually, I'd have quieted myself and apologized. But I was angry. And when you're angry, you do things that you usually wouldn't. "It got cast upon him when Macavity killed those kits." I said strongly. "And the least that I can do is be there for him. He was always there for me. And he's here for me know. So I'll be there for him. And that's _final_."

"I thought you were the sensible one, Demie." She sighed, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter what Munkustrap wants and doesn't want. There are things that are more important that what we want. There are things such as needs, Demeter. If Tugger had to take on the role of leader one day, he would-."

"Would he though? And wouldn't you want to be there for him?" I cried out. "All these years, Munk has surged on, bearing all of the expectations of the tribe on his shoulders with no one to be his friend and no one to talk to. What's so wrong with being his friend? What's so wrong with sticking beside him?"

Bomba shook her head. "You don't understand, do you? Well, one day you will. Demie, I know you. I know you better than you sometimes seem to know yourself. And I know that this will not end well. Don't say that I didn't warn you." she sighed, stalking back outside, leaving me alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own any of the characters or CATS.**

###

I waited for Bomba to return.

Ten minutes passed by.

I began to call for her in desperation, hoping she was just outside the den.

Thirty minutes passed by.

I began to pace _and_ call for her.

An hour passed by.

And then two.

I peeked outside the doorway, hoping that I might find my sister out there somewhere, stubbornly refusing to hear me. But she was nowhere to be found. I imagined she must've decided to go and stay with a friend; Cassandra, maybe, or perhaps Tugger.

And while Bomba wasn't the type to gossip, I could only imagine her telling everyone about how absolutely ridiculous I was. How I'd yelled at her.

"Dem." I heard someone whisper and I turned my head westward.

My eyes settled down on a silver and black striped tabby who was smiling down at me from his post at the wall of the junkyard. A grin spread across my face and I hurried towards him, carefully jumping over piles of junk to join him at his post.

"Bomba stormed out on you?" he asked and I shrugged.

"How'd you know?"

"I've been sitting here for all of the past three hours or so. I've seen a lot of things tonight but nothing that quite caught my attention as much as Bomba leaving your den so angrily. For a moment, I thought that she might've been glaring at _me._ "

I winced. "You really don't want to know."

"Don't want to know what?" he asked and I waved away the question.

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

He looked as if he wanted to press for answers but he didn't say anything.

"You always have this view every night?" I asked quickly, changing the subject before he could change his mind about not asking any more questions.

"More or less." He admitted. "It's a clear night so you're getting one of the best views you'll ever get from this wall. At least… by normal standards. My favorites are those cloudy nights."

"Cloudy? Why?"

"Makes for a better sunset." He explained, blushing a little. "You know… it creates more purple and orange hues."

"Hmm." I mused, thinking about it. "I guess I never really thought of it before."

"I have a lot of time to just think while I'm up here, I guess." He laughed nervously. "And well… I guess it's impossible to run out of things to think about. The day I do is the day I die because without my thoughts, I've got nothing up here."

I smiled. "Well, now you've got me, right?"

He grinned. "Right. But… this is just a one-time thing, right? I can't ask you to-."

"You don't have to."

He looked at me curiously. "You're really willing to stick around out here for hours every night?"

"Well, you do it all of the time with nothing but your thoughts and you've survived. I figure that if I stick around, it's a win-win situation."

"Except for the fact that you'll lose hours of sleep." He pointed out. " _And_ that Bomba might get angry with you."

I winced a little at the thought. "Why would Bomba be angry-?"

He huffed out a breath. "Well… you know… the stuff you said that I wouldn't want to know." He shrugged. "It all has something to do with her not liking the idea that you're hanging around me, doesn't it? She doesn't think it's right, does she?"

"Well… I… I don't see why it matters what she thinks."

"Thing is, Demie, it's not just her." he shrugged. "It's practically everyone in this junkyard."

"When you think of it that way, it seems like everyone 'round here hates you or something…" I sighed, shaking my head.

"That's how it _feels_." He agreed. "But I… well… I suppose that I know that they don't _hate me_."

"It's not fair." I said firmly, getting up to pace up and down the fall. "It's not fair at all."

He laughed bitterly. "What's fairness got anything to do with it? Since when has society ever been fair?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Quite the cynic, aren't you?" I chuckled, shaking my head.

"They say that cynics are the ones who survive."

"A true cynic would be skeptical of that statement." I retorted, making him howl with laughter.

"Fair enough, fair enough."

We passed the rest of Munk's shift at the wall laughing and talking, every once in a while quieting so that he could focus in on a sound that he thought he might've heard, and then we picked it right up again.

It was early in the morning when I finally went back to the den. Out of habit, I snuck in, only to remember that Bomba'd stormed out on me and that she probably didn't intend on coming back until the sun rose again. I winced at the memory of the things that both she and I had said earlier. As I curled up on my blankets in the corner of the den, I wished that resolving this conflict would be as easy as saying that I didn't mean any of what I said—that I was just angry. But it wasn't as simple as all that this time.

Because I did mean it. Every word of what I said.

###

When morning came, I knew that there would be no escaping the inevitable confrontation that I was bound to have to face when Bomba came back— _if_ she came back. So when it was still early, when the kits were the only ones out in the junkyard, playing games just quiet enough so as not to wake their parents, I left the den and picked out some purple pansies that had seemingly sprouted out of nowhere about a year ago.

Leaving them on Bomba's blanket, I sat and waited for Bomba to come home. And then, as the flipside to that coin, I just hope that Bomba _would be_ coming home. With every passing moment I became less and less sure. I knew that things had gone badly when we'd talked the night before. But I didn't think it was anything _that_ bad. We'd had far worse fights, after all.

And yet, Bomba didn't show up. Minutes ticked by and I checked outside of the den every few minutes, wondering if she and her friends had decided to quietly leave the junkyard, dropping their habit of leaving loudly every morning as if to announce to the whole tribe that they were leaving and were going to have a good time.

When Cassandra appeared in the doorway of the den, I felt my heart drop. Things couldn't possibly be good if Bomba was sending her friends around.

"Hey… Demie…" she said slowly, making the air fill with the awkwardness as it were as I continued to fidget horribly. "You seen Bomba?" she asked at last, moving my paws away from each other to stop me from fidgeting with a patch of fur that I seemed to have an odd attachment to ever since I was a kit.

My head snapped up as her question fell between us. "Y-y-y-you mean that _you_ haven't seen her?" I asked, horrified.

She shook her head. "No, of course not! Why would I have seen her? It's still early in the morning."

"Well, she's not _here_. She hasn't been here since last night." I replied, feeling the fear and anxiety in my voice heightening.

"Did you two fight or something?"

"Yes." I admitted, slightly embarrassed. "But I… I thought that she'd just gone to stay with one of her friends. My first thought was that she'd be with you."

"How bad was this fight exactly?"

"Not bad!" I exclaimed. "Not nearly as bad as the time I told her that I didn't need her looking out for me all of the time. _That_ resulted in scratching and screaming."

Cassandra sighed, remembering. "And this ended _how_ , exactly?"

"She just… she just looked disappointed in me. Told me that she knows me better than I know myself or something like that."

"And she just _disappeared?_ " she asked, incredulously.

"You don't believe me."

"It sounds ridiculous, Demie." She murmured. " _What exactly_ were you two talking about?"

I looked down at my paws. "Doesn't matter."

"I think it does. Whatever it was has resulted in your sister disappearing."

"Thank you for stating the obvious." I muttered under my breath. "I'm not any happier about this than you are, okay? So stop looking at me as if it were all my fault-!"

"As far as I know, it is!" Cassandra hissed. "So tell me what you two were arguing about."

"It's none of your business." I said simply.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. " _Fine_. Have your secrets." She said, clearly not in the mood for dealing with me as she headed back towards the door.

"I'll find her." I promised, causing her to stop in her tracks. "I'll find her and bring her back here. Even if it costs me my life."

When Cassandra turned back to look at me, her eyes were wide with concern. "Demeter, if you're trying to prove a point-."

" _I promise_." I hissed the two fatal words, sealing my fate. "And I'm not doing this to prove a point, thank you."

"Bomba wouldn't want you to." Cassandra argued with me but I just stared at her blankly.

There were so many things that I wanted to say in that moment. So many sarcastic remarks, so many angry words. But all I did was get up and push past Cassandra, making my way outside.

 _I have to find her._

###

"You don't remember seeing her going into any den in particular?" I pressed Munk for answers. He thought about it and then shook his head.

"Demie, I'm not even sure if she went into a den. She might've went over the wall-."

"But you'd know if that happened. _Right?_ "

Munk looked guiltily at his paws. "There's only a fifty percent chance of that being true." He sighed. "Look, Dem. How many walls do you see around the junkyard?"

"Four." I answered, not quite sure why he was asking me these questions at all.

"And I watch two of the walls. So that leaves another two over which she might've left."

"B-b-b-but someone _was watching those walls_ , right?" I asked, my voice urgent and he nodded.

"Of course there was."

"And?" I prompted, urgent.

"Skimbleshanks."

"Well, it could be worse." I whispered, trying to calm myself down. "After all, it could have been Tugger keeping watch-."

"Dem, you alright?"

"Sorry." I breathed. "I mumble when I'm worried. _Heavyside knows_ I'm worried about her…"

"Shhh…" Munk whispered, soothing me. "It's okay. Promise. We'll find her. Skimbleshanks is a responsible fellow. He'll help us. And we'll find Bomba."

I nodded and Munk looked out, over the wall and closed his eyes. "When do we start?" he asked.

"Now?" I rasped and he nodded.

"When better to start, right?"

When I looked up at Munk, I could see the doubt and the fear clouding over his features. But it was only for a moment. He smiled at me reassuringly as if hoping that I didn't see that fear pass over him. I gulped and hurried after Munk.

If Munk was afraid, then I knew that I had reason to be.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we came to a halt.

"To the railroad. Let's just hope that the morning train hasn't left quite yet."


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own CATS or any of the characters.**

###

"We're going to have to hurry if we're going to make it in time." Munkustrap muttered through gritted teeth. "Are you okay if we pick up the pace?"

I let out a ragged breath. I was already running as fast as I could. But I nodded anyways, knowing that Munk was running at a considerably slowed pace so that I would be able to keep up with him. "If at least one of us can get there in time…"

He nodded. "I'll meet you there."

I didn't bother to tell him that I didn't have the slightest idea as to where _exactly_ the railroads were. I could hear sounds in the distance—sounds that I could only assume belonged to trains. I bit down on my tongue, willing myself to run faster, keeping Munku in sight. I cursed and blessed his strength at the same time. Cursed it because it left me to fend for myself. Blessed it because it might be our only shot at getting hold of Skimbleshanks.

When I arrived at the platform (no more than a minute and a half after Munk did), I was relieved to see the orange tabby sitting proudly on an elevated chair.

"We made it." I whispered to Munk, relieved that he hadn't left already.

"Skimble!" Munku called up to the tabby.

"Munkustrap. And Demeter." Skimble grinned, hopping down from his chair. "Can't say that I'm not surprised to find the two of you out here."

"I think that _we're_ a bit surprised to have had to come out here ourselves." I choked out, still trying to catch my breath.

"Is something wrong?"

"As usual." Munk nodded. "No one back at the junkyard can seem to find Bombalurina." He explained.

"And well, Munk said that you might know if she went over the wall…"

"Over the wall?" Skimble mused, nodding to himself. "Yes, yes. She did."

"Did she tell you where she was going?" I persisted, urging him to speak.

"Said she was looking for something—no, someone. I asked her who this mysterious 'someone' might be but she just looked down at her paws guiltily. I suppose that she didn't want to tell me—or anyone, for that matter. She never did answer my question. She just begged me to let her leave and well, she looked like there was something that she needed—like she was worried about something. So I couldn't tell her that she shouldn't go. I figured that she's a responsible Queen—should be able to handle herself out there. But you think that she's gotten herself into some sort of trouble?"

"I'm almost certain of it." Munku murmured and I looked over at him at this revelation.

"What?"

"I didn't want to say it before when I knew so little about what was going on." He replied. "But I'm almost certain that if she's gone out to see someone-."

"But she doesn't _know_ anyone outside of the wall."

"Are you sure about that?" he shuddered.

"Of course I'm sure." I whispered. "I'm her sister. She'd tell me about these sorts of things… wouldn't she?"

"Demie, I think that there's one cat outside the wall that we all know." Munku hinted and I heard Skimble take in a horrified, shaky breath.

"Macavity." Skimble said eerily.

My eyes widened in horror and I shook my head. "She wouldn't. Why on earth _would_ she?" I gasped.

Munkustrap looked to me and then looked away. "I don't know." He mumbled, as if embarrassed.

"But no one knows where Macavity hides out." Skimble noted. "And so, even if she did set out to find him, she'd never know where to start. _None_ of us would."

"Bomba hates when I even _mention_ him."

Munku looked at me, curious. "Why?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "But I… I suppose that maybe it has something to do with how close they were as kits. I never got on especially well with him—you know that—but Bomba… Bomba was his friend. And now… well… you know how it is now."

"Whenever anyone opens their mouths to talk about him, it's all bad." Skimble nodded. "That'd be tough… knowing that a Tom who was once a friend of yours is now despised by everyone around you."

" _Heavyside_." I breathed, shaking my head. "We're going about this all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Munkustrap asked, shaking his head.

"We need to start at the beginning." I said bluntly. "The wall wasn't where this began. She didn't just on a whim go to find Macavity—if it is indeed Macavity that she went to find. It began in the den when we fought."

"And you fought _because_?" Skimble prompted and Munku looked down at his paws.

"Something about me. Something about Demie hanging around me to be more precise."

"And _if_ Macavity is the one she's gone to see… then I think I know what might've triggered this idea of hers." I shuddered. Munkustrap and Skimbleshanks stared at me expectantly and I took in a shaky breath. "I… I was trying to defend my position. I was trying to say that it wasn't fair for Munk to have to be all alone all of the time. And I said… well… I… I said something about how if Macavity hadn't killed those kits that he killed those three years ago, Munkustrap wouldn't have to be the leader of the Jellicles one day." I turned to Munku whose eyes were fixated on the ground. "I was trying to explain to her that you never wanted to be the Jellicle leader and that it got thrust upon you."

"She's trying to bring him back." Munkustrap whispered. " _That's_ what this is about."

I blinked, taking in the words. "That doesn't make sense." I looked to Skimbleshanks, hoping to find answers in his eyes. There was nothing there for me to cling to.

"It makes perfect sense. She's trying to bring Macavity back. Make him repent before the Jellicles and have them accept him as their future leader again."

"But why? That'd be an utter disaster-."

"Demie." Munku said, stopping me mid-sentence. "What would you say is the most important thing to Bomba when it comes to making decisions?"

"I hardly see how-."

"I'm trying to make you see what's going on here." He said kindly and I thought hard.

"I suppose that she'd think about how it'd affect her friends and her family first-and-foremost." I replied and Munkustrap nodded.

"Exactly."

I was about to say something else and to still say that I didn't understand. But in that moment, I understood it all and I clinched my eyes shut. "No, no, no, _no_. Bomba wouldn't-."

Skimbleshanks put a gentle, comforting hand on my shoulder.

"She might, Demie." Munku sighed. "But it's going to be alright. We'll find her and we'll bring her back home."

"It's all my fault. I thought… I thought, for a moment, that maybe it wasn't my fault—that maybe it was _our_ fault—but no. It's _my_ fault."

"No." Munku said simply. "It's not all your fault. You don't choose what Bomba does—she does that for herself."

"It's still my fault for bringing you and Macavity into the whole argument." I whispered, full of self-loathing. "If I hadn't, Bomba would be going to the lake with everyone else as we speak. But no. I couldn't stop at just saying that she couldn't tell me who to and not to be friends with. No, I had to push it beyond that-!"

"Stop." Munkustrap whispered. "You can't blame yourself for all of this. It's not your fault that Bomba is out here somewhere. She did that on her own-."

" _I_ put the idea into her head."

"Munkustrap is right. Demie, it's not your fault. But regardless if you believe us when we say that or not… blaming yourself isn't going to bring your sister back."

"But we don't even know where to start." I cried out in desperation.

Skimbleshanks thought about it for a moment and then he smiled. "I might have just the cat that you should go to."

Munku looked to the railway cat, ready to take any suggestions at all.

"Mungojerrie."

"Mungojerrie?!" I exclaimed. "And what would he know of Macavity? He was still a young one when Macavity did what he did. He wouldn't even _remember_."

"You don't get out much do you?" Skimble chuckled a little. "It's commonly believed—mostly amongst the elder-cats—that Mungojerrie might've gotten himself caught up with Macavity as a kit… might be one of his agents still. And… even if there's only _an inkling_ of truth to those tales… he might have some information."

I bit my tongue and looked over to Munkustrap skeptically. Sensing my hesitation, he nuzzled me gently. "We'll start with Mungojerrie then. I haven't got any better ideas."

We thanked Skimbleshanks and saw him off on the morning train, waving to him until he was out of sight.

"Ready for this?"

"I'm not so sure." I admitted. "This is Macavity we're talking about. _Macavity_. And Heavyside knows that although Bomba means well, Macavity will only wreak havoc on the junkyard if he's ever brought back again."

Munku nodded. "I'm not quite certain about all of this either, Demie. But we'll figure it out."

"Promise?"

He smiled a little. "Promise."

As we headed back to the junkyard, I looked to the rising sun and felt my eyes sting with the regret that was forcing the tears to my eyes.

 _Oh, Bomba… where are you?_


	6. Chapter 6

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters.**

###

We fell into a steady, manageable pace as he found our way back to the junkyard, not running anymore.

"I just… I can't believe it." I shuddered and Munku looked back at me. "About Macavity, I mean. I knew… I knew that she missed him sometimes. Not _him_. No. But _who he was_. And she hated hearing everyone speaking about him the way that they do. Because she knew him as a friend once. But I can't believe that she'd go to find Macavity _ever_ , under any circumstances." I sighed. "Or maybe I just don't want to believe it."

"She probably wasn't thinking clearly." Munkustrap reasoned. "It's hard to think rationally in the heat of a moment."

"I just… I'm afraid for her."

"We'll find her." he promised, stopping to let me catch up. He smiled at me reassuringly but something about it seemed skeptical and unsure.

"And what if Macavity's already got her? What if he's hurting her?"

"We… then we'll get her back." He said firmly but I could hear his voice crack a little on the last two words.

"Maybe he's changed." I whispered hopefully but Munku merely shook his head. He was right. It was unlikely.

###

It was still early in the morning when we got back to the junkyard. The kits were just starting to begin their day of games and some of the older cats were out, pouncing on mice for breakfast. The sun was now bright in the sky, shedding its light upon the 'yard.

"Mungojerrie." I repeated the name, testing it on my lips. I'd talked to him sometimes when he was younger. He was quite a bit younger than I was, but I knew him well enough to know that he wasn't _evil_.

"And Rumpleteazer." Munku added. "We had best catch her too."

"I don't know what they'd have to do with Macavity." I sighed. "They're not exactly the most moral of cats, but they… they're part of the tribe. And as far as any of us know, they only engage in petty theft. What would Macavity want with _them_?"

Munkustrap nodded. "I don't know." He admitted.

We walked through the junkyard, looking out for any sight of either Mungojerrie or his sister, Rumpleteazer. We passed through dozens of kittens pouncing on each other playfully. Some of them stopped to smile as we went.

"Have you seen Mungojerrie or Rumpleteazer today?" Munk asked one of the younger kits, smiling kindly at her.

"A-a-a-are they in trouble?" he stuttered out and Munk laughed, shaking his head.

"No, no. Of course not. Demeter and I just need to talk to them and ask them about something."

"I don't think that they have…" the young kit managed after a moment, fidgeting a little, as if intimidated.

"But Mungojerrie promised that he'd bring us a new toy by noon!" another young kit jumped in, helping her friend out a little, sensing his discomfort.

Munkustrap and I exchanged quick glances. "Well, we'll make sure that we won't keep them too long." I promised them and Munk nodded, reaffirming this.

"Will you play with us later?" the bolder of the kits asked.

"The next chance we get." Munku promised for the both of us and I bobbed my head in agreement. "You know, we once used to play like this too!"

"Good day to ya!" I heard someone call and I felt my head snap up in shock. The kittens started squealing excitedly.

"Mungojerrie!"

I turned to come face-to-face with a boldly colored young Tom and I did my best to smile at him warmly.

"Are you going to bring around the toy that you were talking about?" the kits asked excitedly.

"Sure am!" he exclaimed. "I found a nice, brand new ball in one of these buildings that humans call a school."

Munkustrap frowned. He opened his mouth to ask if he might be able to spare a few moments to speak with us but the kittens seemed so happy around him that I could tell that Munku was having difficulty breaking up the air of excitement

When finally, Mungojerrie sent the kittens off to play, telling them that if he was to get the ball for them, they'd have to let him get to his business. As soon as they were gone, he smiled broadly at the both of us.

"Mr. Munkustrap, sir! If this is about the little stunt that Rumpleteazer and I pulled off a week ago-."

"It's not." Munku promised. "But I will have to talk to you about that eventually, you know?"

Mungojerrie nodded urgently. "Just give 'Teazer and me some time to come up with a good story, okay?"

Rolling his eyes, Munk nodded. "Very well. But on one condition."

"Aww… you can't be serious-."

"I am. And this is more than serious." Munk said firmly, making sure that Mungojerrie knew that this wasn't going to be fun and games.

"Serious doesn't mix well with me, you know that, Mr. Munkustrap, sir." He mumbled. "And what's your queenfriend got to do with it?" he asked, jerking his chin in my direction.

"His _what?_ " I sputtered, flustered.

" _Ignore him_." Munku sighed, shaking his head. "Demie's got a lot to do with it. Can you find Rumpleteazer and meet us in the eastern side of the junkyard? The sooner we get this done, the better for all of us."

"What _exactly_ is this all about? I haven't agreed to anything yet-."

"Let's just say that a Queen's gone missing. That's all that you get to know for now." Munk replied sharply, his eyes serious.

"But-."

" _Please_." I whispered, reaching out to touch his paw. "It's important."

Mungojerrie looked annoyed at this but I saw his eyes soften noticeably.

"Alright, alright. _Fine_." He huffed, whirling around before we could say another word.

"I was beginning to think that he might not help us." I admitting, letting out a sigh of relief and Munk nodded.

"He puts on a mask that says he's tough—that says he doesn't care. But he does. Deep down, he really does care. Even if he'll never admit it."

I smiled. Although I didn't dare to say it, his description of Mungojerrie seemed very much to be a description that would fit _him_ as well. "Do you think that he'll have information?"

"Maybe. And even if he doesn't… it's a place to start right?"

I nodded. We made our way over to the wall quietly, taking our time, not speaking to each other as we went. There was nothing to talk about and a comfortable silence fell over us.

When we finally made it to the wall, I felt a wave of anxiety and horror wash over me. The night before, Munkustrap and I had been sitting on the wall opposite the one we now I found ourselves resting on. This was the wall Bomba would have escaped over.

It was a waiting game now.

When Mungojerrie arrived at the meeting place with his sister in tow, Munkustrap smiled at me reassuringly but I was sure that I could see the uncertainty in his smile. As if something were about to go horribly wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters.**

###

"Mr. Munkustrap, sir-."

"Okay, enough with the pretenses." Munku sighed. "This is serious stuff we're dealing with, Mungojerrie."

As Mungojerrie and Munku engaged in a quiet back-and-forth, Rumpleteazer smiled at me nervously. I wanted to smile back but I just turned my face away timidly.

"We're looking for a Queen who's gone missing." Munkustrap was explaining. "And we have reason to think that she's gone looking for a certain cat named Macavity."

The siblings tensed a little and glanced at each other.

"And you think we might know about where Macavity might be?" Rumpleteazer laughed. "We just engage in petty crime-."

"Even so, we have reason to believe that you might know or have some sort of clue-." I blurted out.

Mungojerrie raised a careful eyebrow. "And even so, you're trusting us?"

"We don't have any other clues as to where we should start." Munkustrap explained. "And… well… any information you think you might have-."

"Wait, wait, _wait._ " Mungojerrie said, shaking his head. "Why do you think we might know anything? If it's because-."

Munkustrap sighed. "You're not denying that you have a knack for getting into trouble, are you? Because I could very easily pull up my list-."

"You don't have a list." Rumpleteazer smirked.

"And besides, not every cat who 'has a knack for getting into trouble' is associated with Macavity." Mungojerrie snorted. "I don't see Tugger here." He said, proving his point.

"W-w-w-well, beyond just your run-ins with the law, you've seen more of the world outside of the junkyard than any other cats we can think of!" I exclaimed in desperation. "Please. We need your help. Anything that you've got."

"Who's gone missing?" Mungojerrie sighed.

"Bombalurina." Munkustrap said hurriedly, pouncing on the opportunity, not willing to risk the siblings changing their minds about helping us.

Rumpleteazer's eyes softened. "She's your sister, isn't she?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Well, Jerrie?" Rumpleteazer sighed. "If I went missing, you'd look for me, wouldn't you?"

###

Munkustrap and I followed quietly after Mugojerrie and Rumpleteazer. We ran through streets I'd never seen in my life. We passed by people who looked as if they might want to hurt us—as if we were disrupting the peace.

On a normal day, if I were chasing after Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, two cats who were notorious for the trouble that always seemed to be nipping at their tails, I'd think that the world had gone completely mad. But I didn't have time to give it a second thought.

"Where exactly are we going?" Munkustrap asked, after a while, sounding slightly frustrated.

The siblings hadn't told us where we were going. They'd merely told us to follow them. And as much as I knew that they were supposed to be helping us, I couldn't help but feel that they were leading us to our deaths and we just didn't know it. Whether they were leading us to Macavity's front door or to the next link in the chain towards finding Macavity was altogether unclear. But I shuddered at the thought that Macavity could live anywhere in the city, in such close proximity to the junkyard.

"So, how do you think that that sister of yours would know where to find Macavity?" Rumpleteazer asked, ignoring Munku's question. The lack of an answer made my stomach lurch and I felt more uneasy than I had before.

"I don't know." I admitted. "They were friends as kits. She might have had some clues." I shrugged.

"It wouldn't be unlike Macavity to leave clues around the junkyard." Munkustrap admitted.

"Your own brother, huh. And even you don't know where to find him?" Mungojerrie asked, laughing a little.

" _Half_ -brother." Munku corrected, his eyes narrowing a little.

Mungojerrie shrugged. "He's quite the figure though, isn't he? Holds such sway over the junkyard."

"He doesn't hold sway over the junkyard!" Munku snarled a little, frightening even me.

"But he does, doesn't he?" Mungojerrie asked, seemingly unfazed by Munkustrap's sudden change in demeanor. "No one ever speaks his name unless it's under soft whispers. He's something of a legend to the kits. There are stories that their parents tell them about him, you know? Sure, he's a villain. But he's left his mark on the junkyard, that's for sure."

"He's not a bedtime story." Munkustrap hissed, but his eyes were noticeably calmer. "He really killed all of those kits. He really-."

"And no one's saying that he didn't, Mr. Munkustrap, sir." Mungojerrie murmured, shaking his head.

"Drop it." I whispered, looking away. "Just… just stop talking about it."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon us as we continued through the city but as we continued down the street, past buildings that towered over our heads, Munkustrap smiled at me in thanks.

###

When we finally came to a stop, we found ourselves staring up at a large old house that looked as if it might collapse in on itself at any moment. Once, perhaps, it had been beautiful. But now, it looked more like a shadow than anything else.

"Where is this place?" I asked.

"This, is where Lady Griddlebone resides." Rumpleteazer grinned. "Wait for her to come outside—she will eventually—and ask her your questions."

"She knows more than we do." Mungojerrie agreed.

"But we-." I started as they raced away. I started after them, but stopped when I noticed that Munkustrap hadn't moved.

"Munku?"

"Let them go." He whispered. "They did what we asked. Besides, we can't let those kits be disappointed now, can we?" he asked, smiling a little.

I nodded. "I… I guess. So… we just wait now?"

"It seems that that's the only thing that we can do."

I'd never seen Munkustrap look so hopeless in my life. And although I knew that I should probably talk to him and tell him that it was all going to be alright—that Macavity didn't hold as much sway over the junkyard as Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer seemed to think—I curled up on the sidewalk and rested my head on my paws, letting the sleep take me.


	8. Chapter 8

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters.**

###

I awoke sometime later, when the sun was set. I'd slept the day away without a care. I felt a twinge of guilt overtake me.

 _What if Munku went off without me, thinking that I was useless? What if Griddlebone came out and he decided that I wasn't worth waiting around for. After all, it's my fault that we're in the middle of this mess anyways._

But Munkustrap was there, faithful as ever, sitting by the gate of the house, glancing back at me every so often as if to make sure that I was still there. He didn't seem to notice that I was awake now. Yet, in his mannerisms, I remembered something that he always used to do when we were kits. Whenever we were playing, he'd always glance over his shoulder, as if to make sure that one of his brothers wasn't hiding behind him, ready to pounce. And he was doing it in that moment. Short, careful glances over his shoulder.

I got to my feet and stretched and trotted over to Munkustrap.

"Hey." I whispered and he looked over at me, seemingly startled by my sudden approach.

"Sleep well?"

I shrugged. "I guess. I chose bad timing though."

He let out a laugh that might've sounded jovial if it weren't for the fact that I knew that he was grappling with more than he'd let on. But _I knew_. And so behind that happy, jovial façade, I heard pain, hurt, worry.

I wanted him to say something—anything—to alleviate the weight of having to reply to that pain that he himself couldn't have known he was expressing. But he didn't say anything. He just stared up at the house, as if expecting Griddlebone to show up at er window at any given moment.

"So, I-." I started, just as Munku said "It's chilly out here."

I smiled and nodded, relieved. "Just a little." I agreed, and then, remembering that Munku had remained awake whilst I was asleep, I nodded to the patch of grass on which I'd fallen asleep. "You should sleep. I can keep watch."

"It's okay." He said adamantly, shaking his head.

"I can handle Griddlebone if she comes out here."

"I know." He sighed. "I just don't want to sleep."

I blinked, not understanding. "Munku, you've got to sleep."

He shook his head. "No. Not now."

"But-."

"I _can't_ , Demie. I don't even know what might happen if I sleep."

"Nothing's going to happen."

He shook his head, as if frustrated by the fact that I wasn't understanding his plight. "Nightmares, Dem." He whispered. "I get nightmares sometimes. And well… I… I feel like tonight's going to be one of those nights. What if this chase is all in vain? What if Macavity's at the junkyard, even as we speak?"

"You can't think that way, Munku." I said, shaking my head. "Y-y-y-you have to look on the bright side of things."

"I don't know if there _is_ a bright side to this, Dem." He sighed, gulping and I looked down at my paws.

"I know. I'm sorry."

He smiled weakly at me. "Don't be sorry for being optimistic. It's a gift. And… and it makes me think—if only for a moment—that everything's going to be okay. So… keep smiling, okay?"

I did the only thing that I could: I smiled. And I nodded.

"And one more thing?" he asked sheepishly and I nodded, urging him to go on. "Talk to me? Take my mind off of the exhaustion?"

"What do you want me to talk to you about?" I asked.

"All of the years I missed out on." He whispered and I felt another smile creeping across my features. "What you and the others did… what you saw."

"Well… there was this one time." I told him and I could see the tension in his shoulders fade into ease. "Bomba made me go out to the lake with her, Tugger, and the rest."

"That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen." He murmured, and I could hear the faint rumble of a laugh.

" _I'm getting to that part!_ " I laughed. "Anyways… we went out to the lake and I was just hanging out on a rock, watching everyone as they played. I wasn't too keen on joining in the game. But watching was amusing enough for me. But I guess that I got lost in thought, just watching the game because out of nowhere, Tug came up behind me and pushed me into the water!" I exclaimed, laughing at the memory.

Munkustrap smiled—really smiled.

###

Griddlebone didn't show her face for six days. Not through a window, not by coming outside. We didn't even see a sign that she might live in the house that Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had lead us to. And it was sheer faith—faith that they wouldn't lie to us—that kept us there.

But finally, we caught sight of a cat with fur white as snow in the window. We exchanged quick glances with one another. Everyone knew about the notorious story about how Griddlebone had led Growltiger to his death all of those years ago. It was a famous story that we'd all known. And yet, as I reflected on Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's words, I realized that Macavity had become the story that parents told their kits. Just as our parents told us the story of Griddlebone.

And throughout my whole life, I'd never forgotten Griddlebone's story. But I'd never seen it as anything more than that—a story. And yet, in those very moments, I was sitting there, staring up at the house in which this villain who'd overshadowed my life as a kit. And while, for all those years, I might've seen her as nothing but a story, far from being able to find me and hurt me, I'd seen her in the flesh. There was no denying that she could very well hurt me and that she could hurt Munku.

 _And she might've hurt Bomba._


	9. Chapter 9

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters.**

###

When Griddlebone appeared at the window, I could have sworn that I saw a smile spreading across her refined features. Munkustrap tensed beside me and I knew that he'd seen it too. The smile was sly and cunning. As if she'd been waiting for _us_ and not the other way around.

A part of me wanted to flee and abandon our mission. The other, stronger part of me told myself to stand my ground.

But then, as if she were never there at all, Griddlebone disappeared from the window and we did not catch sight of her again.

"It's eerie." Munkustrap sighed, shaking his head. "There's something wrong here. Don't you feel it?"

"Well… if she's working for Macavity, it makes sense for it all to feel so wrong, doesn't it?" I said, trying my best to sound optimistic.

"I guess." was all that Munku offered and I tried smiling at him, but he wouldn't look at me.

###

"She'll have to come outside _sometime_ , won't she?" I asked after two more days had passed.

"I don't think that she thinks of herself as having to do _anything_."

Munku had a point.

"Maybe she's just trying to see how committed we are to figuring it all out?"

"Or maybe she's trying to find our weaknesses. For all we know, she's spying on us while we don't know it."

I bit my tongue.

I sure _hoped_ that wasn't the case.

"And besides, we're wasting time, sitting here, aren't we? What if she never intends to come outside?" Munkustrap asked, clearly frustrated.

"We don't have any other leads." I murmured. "We don't really have any other choice other than to wait."

###

Days flashed by and so did the nights. Most nights, Munkustrap and I stayed up, talking to one another. Munku was still afraid of his nightmares coming back but gradually, he'd agree to sleep a little more. On the nights on which he did feel like sleeping, he curled up under a tree while I kept watch. We'd switch off every once in a while.

But it was in those moments when we weren't talking to each other that I felt the fear overtake me. It was the silence that was eerie. Not the thinking out loud. Keeping the thoughts in was what generated fear.

So I stared at the stars, hoping that it might take my mind off of all of the things that circulated around my thoughts, daring me to abandon the search for my sister.

One night, as I was sitting there, mumbling to the stars, while every once in a while, checking back to make sure that Munkustrap was still alive and well, I heard a crash of metal hitting the ground. Munkustrap stirred a little in his sleep, murmuring a little but he didn't awaken.

I weighed out my options and—not without some guilt clouding my emotions—I got up and decided to find out what it was. Deep down, I hoped _to Heavyside_ that it was Griddlebone who'd caused the ruckus.

And yet, when I rounded the corner, I came face-to-face with a wide-eyed rabbit who, seemingly horrified of me, fled.

I sighed and walked slowly back to where Munkustrap lay, asleep. But when I got back, he was not alone. No, standing above him was the figure of a cat with fur a purer white than I'd ever seen in the junkyard—the whitest of coats so easily got dirtied in the junk.

I took in a sharp breath, unwilling to announce my presence.

But as I took a step back, I felt a stray twig from a bush snag on the fur of my hindleg and I let out a weak whimper, causing Griddlebone to turn around and stare at me.

Her eyes were dark and cold, sunken in and hallowed out. I wanted to say something bold—to tell her that I wasn't afraid—but not a word came out. I merely gaped at her. The legend that I'd been told of for years was standing before me in the flesh.

"He looks to be sound asleep." Griddlebone purred.

"And what of it?" I whispered, straightening my back, willing myself to look bolder, unafraid. But my voice, shaky and turbulent, betrayed my façade.

"Just that it would be a pity if we were to wake him."

I bit my lip and nodded. "It would be, at that. He's been unable to sleep as of late."

"I did not come out here to make small talk with you, girl."

I snorted. _As if I were to know that_.

"What do you want then?"

"I think that the question is what do _you_ want?" Griddlebone retorted. "You and your friend have been sitting on _my_ doorstep for quite a bit more than a week now."

"We've been _waiting_." I seethed.

"Waiting for what? Me? I've never so much as laid an eye on you in my life. And I've been around quite a long time."

"Believe me, we know." I murmured. "After that havoc that you wreaked in the junkyard all those years ago, you've become quite the celebrity."

"Celebrity?" she grinned, clearly flattered. "My, what an honor."

"If you wanted to be known for your infamous deeds, then yes. Congratulations."

"Why are you so bitter, then, child?" she asked.

"I trust that you know a certain cat by the name of Macavity."

"Macavity…" she purred, smiling slyly at me. "Who _hasn't_ heard of that troublemaker?" she asked.

I shrugged. "We're looking for him."

She let out a laugh that rang out like bells. I might have thought the sound sweet if it weren't for the fact that I knew that she was a villainous sort. "I didn't take you and your friend to be the outlaw sort."

"We're not." I murmur. "We're looking for my sister and we have reason to believe that Macavity might have her."

"And why are you telling _me_ all of this, dear?" she asked, snapping her jaw at me.

I took in a sharp breath, wishing that what I was about to say were not the truth.

"Because you're our only lead."

And even as the words fell from my mouth to the ground, I knew that I'd just handed Griddlebone the upper hand. She now knew our weakness.


	10. Chapter 10

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters.**

###

"I'll cut you a deal." Griddlebone said, a sly smile crawling across her face.

"I-."

"You said it yourself, child. You and your friend _need_ me. And I _can_ help you find Macavity. But not without a fee."

"We don't have anything with us-!"

"I don't want anything _material_."

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to think of what Munkustrap would say. _Why can't he just wake up?_ I thought to myself. "What do you want from us?"

"Promise me that you'll do whatever it is I want."

"Not until you tell me what it is and I've had time to talk it over with my friend."

"You're in no position to be making bargains, are you dear?" Lady Griddlebone crooned sweetly and I hated, more than anything, that she was right. " _Those_ are my terms."

I bit my tongue and thought. _You're smarter than this, Demie._ I thought to myself but even as I thought it, it seemed like mockery to my own self. When I opened my eyes and stared right at Griddlebone, though, I felt something unlock inside of me.

 _Two can play at this game._ I realized.

"But if you're so adamant about all of this, then surely that means that you have a need—not just a want—for whatever you want to ask of me. So _you_ need _us._ "

A thin smile spread across Lady Griddlebone's refined features. "You're smarter than I realized."

Although it wasn't quite a compliment, I felt a little something inside of me swell with meek triumph.

"Let me think on it." Griddlebone said after a moment, her eyes boring into mine. "Give me three days."

"Three days?! But we might not have three days! We've already wasted at least nine!"

"Do you want to try me, girl?" she hissed and I was quick to shake my head.

"No! But how will we find you?"

"There's no 'we' in this." Griddlebone laughed. "You're to find me at the corner of that street in three days' time when the clock strikes one." She nodded her head towards where we were to meet. "And you're to come alone."

" _Alone_?" I rasped.

"Alone, girl. Alone or no deal."

 _For Bomba, Demie_. I told myself and then I nodded. "Very well. Three days."

I stared off in the direction of the place which Griddlebone had pointed out as our meeting place. "By that lamppost over there?" I asked but she was gone.

###

"Demie, you're not looking at me." Munkustrap said, stopping in his telling of what he'd dreamed the night before. His voice dripped with concern. "What's wrong?"

"N-n-n-nothing."

"I don't believe that. You're good at a lot of things, Demie. But lying is not one of them."

I gulped and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." I said, firmer this time, more confident. "You said you dreamed about Tugger being turned into a houseplant?"

Munkustrap didn't quite seem to believe that I was fine. But he dropped the topic anyways, letting it go. "Yeah. You'd think that turning into a houseplant would've made him pipe down a ltitle." He chuckled lightly. "But he was as talkative as ever."

At this, I laughed. Really laughed. And for a few minutes, I forgot about Griddlebone and our deal.

When Griddlebone and her deal came flooding back to me, I promised myself that I _would_ tell Munku.

 _Just not yet._

###

With every day that passed, I kept telling myself, _I'll tell him tomorrow. I'll tell him tomorrow. Tomorrow, and then I'll tell him._

Before I knew it, thought, I'd run out of time. Munkustrap still was wary. Every few minutes, his eyes flew back to the house. As if Griddlebone had spoken to him too. And, for all I knew, he had. And he just hadn't had the courage to tell _me_ yet.

These thoughts only weighed down on me more, made me more anxious. With every breath, I felt weaker, more afraid.

"Munku?" I piped softly, causing him to jump, afraid.

"Demie…"

"Sorry. It's just… there's something that I've got to tell you. Something that I should have told you a while ago."

His eyes softening a little, Munku sighed a little. "There's something I've got to tell you too."

I gulped. "I… Griddlebone approached me three days ago. And I… I'm supposed to go and meet her later today. _Alone._ She specifically said that I was to meet her alone in order to bargain for her help."

Munkustrap let out an enraged hiss though somehow I knew it wasn't me that he was angry with. "Munku?"

"She's playing us like one of those games that the kits play in the junkyard, Demie. And to _her_ , it is some sort of sick, twisted game."

"Then we have to win." I said with renewed strength and determination. "We'll show her that we're smarter than she's willing to believe."

"And what if we're not smarter than she thinks? What if she's got us all figured out?"

"She may have bits and pieces figured out, Munku… but she doesn't know _everything_ about us."

"Demie… you might be on to something…" he whispered and I smiled. "We do know quite a lot about her."

###

Munkustrap paced around our little camp as we came ever closer to Griddlebone's appointed time. "Do you think that you can pull this off?"

"Maybe." I whispered. Munku's pacing was making me uneasy and nervous.

"Maybe? Demie…"

"Sorry." I shivered. "I just… I want to just wing it."

"I know. I know."

I stared up at the sky and then closed my eyes again.

"Don't worry, Demie. It's going to be fine. We'll be well on our way to find Bomba before you know it."

"Think so?"

"I _know_ so, Demie." He smiled. "Have a little faith."

This made me smile a little and I nuzzled him gently. "You never did tell me what you had to tell me."

He tensed a little and then his eyes looked sad for a moment. "I… I didn't, did I?"

I shook my head.

"And maybe it's better that way."

I looked at him, confused. "But-."

" _One day_ , Demie. I promise."


	11. Chapter 11

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _I can do this._ I kept telling myself.

 _I can do this._

Munkustrap walked with me as far as seven paces from the lamppost. When he stopped walking, I gulped and looked back at him.

"It'll be fine." He promised me and I wanted to tell him that there was no way in which he could know that for sure. But all I did was run over to him and nuzzle him quickly before biting my tongue and racing to the lamppost before I could let my fear overtake me.

I wanted to be able to say that Griddlebone wasn't scary. But the more I thought of it, the more I realized that Griddlebone was terrifying. That she could, if she wanted to, tear me apart limb from limb and hold little to no remorse about it.

Yet, for all my worrying, I didn't know what she wanted. She could have wanted any number of things. And as far as I was concerned, there was a great deal to be worried about.

But there was no going back. Even as I stood there, waiting, I began to hope that Griddlebone wouldn't arrive. And then, that was followed by a swift rebuke from myself.

" _You're doing this for Bomba, Demie."_

I shuddered as I heard the soft patter of footsteps coming towards me.

"You came." Griddlebone smirked. "I thought that you might not."

"I…"

"Afraid?"

"Only a little." I replied though that was far from true. "You said that you had a deal to offer me."

A smile snaked its way across Griddlebone's face. "Yes, yes, I do. What was it that you needed again?"

I clenched my jaw, furious that my plight was so trivial to Griddlebone that she'd just _forgotten_. That a cat, searching for her sister, waiting for _days_ with nothing but _hope_ that she would receive help was nothing to her. Nothing at all.

"My sister." I managed through gritted teeth.

"Ah, yes. The missing one?"

"Who else?" I cried. "I only have one sister. And she… she was worried for me and she acted without thinking."

"And that's _your_ fault?" Griddlebone asked, smirking. Her tone was mocking.

"I… yes!"

"Then you're a bigger fool than I took you for."

"You don't understand-."

"You're right. I don't understand. Let your sister suffer the consequences of her rashness."

"I came here to seek your help. Not your advice." I hissed and she chuckled.

"Advice and help, isn't that all the same thing?"

"Not now. The help that I want involves you telling me where Macavity hides-."

"And _that_ , my dear child, is what will cost you." Griddlebone said slowly, sitting down. "You see, it's that sort of information that does not come without a cost."

I gulped, looking back, hoping to catch Munkustrap's eyes in the dark. Hoping that he might know the rules—the way of winning—this game that Griddlebone was playing. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"So, what'll it be?" Griddlebone asked and I stared back at her.

"I told you the last time we met." I hissed. "No deal until you tell me what you want."

She laughed. "You did, didn't you? And what will you do if the price is something that you're unwilling to pay? Do you give up looking for your sister?"

Her taunting was wearing away at the defenses that I'd focused on building up over the three days Griddlebone had given me. I felt the color drain from my face as I realized the truth that Griddlebone's words held.

"I think that not telling you what I want is a mercy, child. If you agree blindly, then there will be no way for you to back out weakly."

Even as I stared back into Griddlebone's calm, blue eyes, I refused to believe that there was anything merciful about her. Not this cat who'd sent another cat to his death.

"I…"

"Just say that you agree." She coaxed and I dropped my head in exhaustion.

"I'll do whatever you want." I said quietly, defeated.

"Good!" Griddlebone exclaimed cheerfully. "Good, good, good!"

"Get to the point. Tell me where my sister is and then tell me what you want."

"Oh?" Griddlebone frowned. "I thought that you wanted to know what I require of you first." She mocked.

"That was before. This is now. I've agreed to do whatever you want me to do. Just… tell me where my sister is. Make this easy on me." I begged.

"So, you want the information, do you?"

I nodded, weak.

"Well, my dear, you should have played your cards better. As it stands now, I am holding the winning hand."

"Why are you doing this to me? Why torture me like this when I've given you my word? What have I done to you?"

Griddlebone laughed. "Oh, it's not so much _you_ , child. No, no… it's your precious little tribe. The Jellicles."

I bit my tongue. "The tribe…"

"I don't doubt that you know of what I speak."

I nodded slowly, gulping quietly.

 _The demise of Growltiger. The exiling of Griddlebone._ Those stories were the stories I'd grown up with. Griddlebone had become something of a warning to us all. An example.

"They… they only did what they saw as right. You're not innocent in this-!"

"No, no. Of course not. But just like your dilemma with your sister… whatever on earth you did or said moved her to seek out Macavity. But, child, it's _her fault_ for doing something so rash."

I felt the tears rise to my eyes. "Don't speak of Bomba as if she's anything like you. She's good. She's kind."

"Oh, but I was kind once." Griddlebone smiled thinly. "I was beautiful once. And Growltiger… Growltiger was… unfortunate. That, I will admit. That, I will accept the blame for. But it's the Jellicle's fault for the rest."

"The rest?" I questioned weakly.

She laughed a little but it was a horrible sound. "They exiled me. They exiled me and cast out my kittens with me. It would have been better for them to have taken them from me than to have let me keep them. I couldn't protect them from the world out there. And they _knew_. And now, now, my kittens are dead. That blood isn't on my hands, child. That blood—that innocent blood—is on the hands of your precious tribe."

"I don't see what this has to do with me." I rasped, horrified that the tribe could do something so horrible.

"Oh, sweet, sweet child. It has _everything_ to do with you." she laughed manically. "That is, if you want to see your sister again."

###

 _Hi, everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Just thought that I should let y'all know that due to the fact that I am participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this month, updates might be a little less frequent. But I will try to post a new chapter at least once a week!_


	12. Chapter 12

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

I stumbled away from Griddlebone, horrified.

 _What have I done?_ I wondered to myself. _I should have never… Bomba would never want me to do whatever malicious thing Griddlebone will have me do._

"I-I-I don't see what you mean." I stuttered, betraying the tough guise I'd put on. Griddlebone smirked at this and circled around me, making me feel smaller.

"Oh, I think that you do." She chuckled. "Shall I spell it out for you?"

I didn't say anything. If she didn't say it outright, it would make it less real.

As if reading my thoughts, Griddlebone shook her head and clicked her tongue at me. "Oh, you don't want to face the facts, do you? You see, your tribe took lives of innocents. Lives that ought not to have been taken at all."

"S-s-s-stop." I rasped. "I won't-."

"You, my dear, have made a deal." She said sinisterly. "And I won't let you back out of it. You see, it's time that the Jellicles pay. And I think that I know precisely what I want."

"And what's that?"

"So you do want me to spell it out for you?" she smirked. "Very well. I want justice. Plain and simple. That friend of yours, who is he?"

"What's he got to do with it?"

"Oh, he has _everything_ to do with it, I think. I just need to know who he is. I have my guesses but…"

"His name's Munkustrap!" I cried out in exasperation.

"Old Deuteronomy's son?" she asked eagerly and I sighed.

"Yes! That's him. Leave him out of it." I snarled.

"Oh, no. Ah, this is splendid."

"Spit it out!" I cried out in anguish. "What do you want from us?"

"Oh, nothing much." She shrugged, reaching out for me, smiling wickedly. "I just want you to kill Old Deuteronomy."

###

I couldn't meet Munku's eyes when he came back with breakfast in the morning. He was cheerful, probably supposing that I'd been triumphant in striking a deal—a respectable deal—with Griddlebone and that we'd be well on our way to finding Bomba. Only part of that was the truth. And I couldn't bring myself to tell Munku about the deal. I couldn't tell him about the fact that due to my stupidity and my eagerness to find my sister, I'd sealed his fate and wrote his father's death sentence.

And, in so many ways, I didn't know which was worse.

"Demie, what's wrong?" he asked at last, realizing that I'd barely said a word to him all that day.

I didn't want to meet his eyes and I glanced down at my paws. "I messed up." I whispered. "No, that's not even enough to explain what I did."

"What happened? What did Griddlebone do?"

"She wore me down, Munku! I'm sorry!" I cried out in anguish. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to. Oh, if I weren't so weak-."

"There's not a weak bone in you, Demie." Munkustrap said reassuringly. "Oh, not at all. Demie, you're the bravest cat I've ever met-."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what deal I blindly walked into. Perhaps I'm not cowardly, but oh, I am stupid!"

"Don't say that."

" _You'll_ say that when you find out what I did."

"Demie, I don't know what Griddlebone's deal is. I don't know what you've agreed to do. But I know that you want Bombalurina back."

"Did you know that your father cast Griddlebone out of the junkyard and her kittens with her?" I asked abruptly, my voice angry, pained. "Did you know that her kittens died out there and she was helpless to help them?"

Munkustrap closed his eyes and turned away from me. "I… I…"

"I know." I whispered. "I didn't think that he'd ever do such a thing but I-."

"He couldn't have done it out of spite, Demie." Munku said to me, turning to look at me again. "He must've only been doing what he felt was right."

"Was it justice to send her kittens to their deaths when they had nothing to do with it?" I rasped.

I could see the pain filling Munkustrap's eyes as he closed them again. "What does Griddlebone want from you?"

I bit my tongue and looked down at my paws in shame. "Revenge." I said at last, my voice quaking with the horror of the deed which I had blindly agreed to commit.

"She wants my father dead." Munku whispered, catching on quickly.

"Yes." I said softly, my legs shaking. "And she wants you to become the next Jellicle leader."

At this, Munku paled. "Demie-."

"I'm sorry…" I whispered. "I'm so sorry. If I'd known-."

"Don't be sorry." He said at last, nuzzling me softly. "It's okay. We'll figure this out. And besides, Griddlebone's told you where Macavity is, hasn't she?"

I nodded feebly. "Then it's not all been in vain. And if we can save one life in taking one-."

"No." I rasped. "Don't try to rationalize it."

"Demeter, I-."

I collapsed to the ground and sobbed into my paws. "I've made a mistake, Munku. And now, I have to suffer the pains of it."

"Demie, we set out to find Bomba." He said calmly and I looked up at him, tears in my eyes. "And that's what we're going to do."

"What if the cost isn't worth it?"

"Who are we to proclaim the worth of a life?" he asked.

"And yet, who are we—who am _I_ —to take a life from someone else?"

It was Munkustrap's turn to look down at his paws.

"Munku, you've done so much for me. And I… I'm more than grateful to you for everything you've done for me."

"Demie, what are you doing?" he asked, his eyes widening, as if sensing the meaning of my words.

"Saying goodbye." I said hoarsely.


	13. Chapter 13

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

 **In this chapter, I switch to Munkustrap's POV halfway through, but I will make sure to note when that happens! Enjoy!**

###

Munkustrap looked down at his paws at my words. "Demie, you can't-."

I didn't listen as I took off. I couldn't make him suffer due to what I'd promise. I couldn't bring him into the mess I'd created for myself. Munkustrap hurried after me, easily catching up.

"Demeter, I know that you feel guilty about what's happened but I said I'd help you and I intend to do just that-."

"Even when it comes to murdering your own father?" I asked, shaking my head. "No. You've got to run far from this place. You've got to save yourself."

He tilted his head to the side as if confused by what I was asking of him.

"Munku, I of all people know that you don't want to be the next Jellicle leader. I _know_ that. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I'd known that you had to become the Jellicle leader on my account. No, you have to run away. You have to get far, far away from here. Forget me, forget everyone. Griddlebone can hold me to your father's fate but I can't be held accountable for your flight to freedom."

" _Forget?_ " he seethed, shaking a little. "I'd rather become the Jellicle leader than forget everything!"

"Even if you become the Jellicle leader, you'll have to forget anyways, Munku. Don't you see that? I'll be a murderer and you'll have to exile me."

"I could explain everything-."

"There's no good explanation for murder."

"Justice is the best reason there could be." He replied, adamant. "Demie, you've got to listen to me. You can't leave. You can't make me say goodbye."

"That's where you're wrong, Munkustrap. I will go. And I have to say goodbye."

I bent my head in sorrow and nuzzled him gently before pulling back to look at his eyes one last time.

And then, I ran.

###

I made a little progress every day, advancing towards my goal. I'd find Bomba, bring her back to the junkyard, fulfill my end of the deal and suffer the consequences.

As much as it sickened me, I knew that I didn't have much of a choice. Griddlebone would make good on her promise to hurt Bomba and Munkustrap if I didn't do as I'd promised.

I could only hope that Munkustrap was far from the junkyard by now, that he'd heeded my advice and ran away. It was the only way in which I could ensure that I didn't mess everything up. And I knew that, of all things, I didn't want to hurt Munkustrap more than I already had. Oh, I hadn't intended to hurt him at all.

The stars shone bright above me and I tried to ward off all feelings of sadness that threatened to take me down. I couldn't let the sadness threaten my mission. There was an eternity before me to pine over the mistakes I'd made.

Macavity was just outside of my reach and I decided that it was more important, more pressing to focus on how I'd deal with Macavity when I did encounter him than focus on what was past and could no longer be mended. Macavity's lair was hidden away in an abandoned steel mill. I'd heard bad things about the place from cats and humans alike. I shuddered to think of what Bomba might be suffering there.

"I'm coming for you, Bomba…" I promised, knowing full well that this mission was the only reason I had for living anymore. Once the mission was completed and my end of the deal was fulfilled, there was nothing left. Just an eternity of shame and solitude to ponder over all that I'd done wrong in the past few weeks.

Under the moon and the stars, I felt so alone. The stars had their friends and family. I'd traded all of that away with a few foolish words. Perhaps Bomba would be grateful to me after saving her. But she'd never be able to forgive me for killing Old Deuteronomy. Not the beloved Jellicle leader. Never mind what he did to Griddlebone and her kittens—the Jellicles wouldn't see that as a reason for murder. And what _was_ a reason for murder anyways?

"I'm so close…" I whispered to myself, shaking my head. "I'm so close. All that's left to do is to save Bomba and… and to end this madness."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I thought on what Demeter had said for a long while before deciding to run back to the junkyard, not heeding what she'd begged me to do.

"Munkustrap!" Skimbleshanks exclaimed when he saw me running back to the junkyard. "What's happened to Demeter?"

I stared at him, my eyes blank. "I… many things." I said at last. "What's going on back at the junkyard? Is everything-?"

"Everything's fine. Did you lose Demeter to Macavity?"

"What? No! I don't even know where Macavity is. And that's part of the problem."

"How could you lose her?"

"I didn't purposely!" I defended myself.

"You have to explain what's going on. Goodness's sake… losing one Queen was enough! And now we've lost two!"

I looked away from him, ashamed. We walked silently back to the junkyard, but I could feel his utter disappointment in me radiating off of him.

The Jellicles cheered at my return, barely noticing that Demeter hadn't come back with me. They noticed Bomba was gone. But Demie's disappearance seemed to mean nothing to them. I wanted to snarl at them and tell them that Demeter, the girl who'd always so quietly sat in the background was gone and that I wasn't sure if she was ever coming back.

And yet, I knew that she'd come back. She'd have to. And when she returned, it would be a return that no one would ever forget. Would they tell awful stories about her as they always did with Griddlebone and Macavity? Would she be reduced to nothing but shadows and stories?

My father was seated peaceably upon a pile of crates and I hurried over to him. "Father, I-."

"Munkustrap, you ought to be ashamed in yourself!" he scolded me quietly, so as not to draw attention to us. "Do you have no remorse for leaving the junkyard and the tribe in such a horrified situation? If I were to die, then who would take over?"

"There's more important things at hand!" I hissed, not willing to be scolded. Not right then. Not when Demie could be walking towards her death even as we spoke.

"What's more important than the fate of the tribe?" my father asked, still careful to keep his voice quiet, his tone hushed.

"Is that what you asked yourself when you sent innocent kittens to their deaths?" I asked despairingly, jumping right to the core of the matter.

Eyes widening, my father looked momentarily stunned. He quickly regained his composure though, and denied my accusations. "What are you talking about? You're raving like a madman."

"I know what happened." I seethed. "How could you? What evil had they done? They were just children!"

"I haven't got the slightest idea as to what-."

"Don't say that!" I hissed, suddenly more enraged than I'd ever been. "That's worse than anything else you could have possibly said. Have you forgotten them? Are their lives just a few more lives? Just a means to an end?"

I saw the usual kind, good light in my father's eyes fade away as he dragged me away into the den, away from the eyes of the tribe. "Where on earth have you been?"

"I've been trying to save a friend." I muttered, not meeting his eyes. "You do know that a few cats are missing from the tribe, don't you? Two Queens."

"What does it matter if two Queens go missing? What matters is when the son of the Jellicle leader runs off with no explanation, leaving the tribe essentially leaderless! And then, when you come back, you're raving like a lunatic with horrible accusations of murder-!"

"I'm not a lunatic." I hissed.

"You sound like one. Now, you have two options."

"I don't want to hear them." I snarled, glaring at my father. "I don't intend to stay as there's still work to do. I just want to know how you could do such a horrible thing with no remorse. With no sign of guilt. I want to know how you could make the tribe only see one side of the story and make them forget completely about Griddlebone's kittens. She did horrible things, yes, but her kittens?"

"You've been to see her, haven't you?" he asked, whirling on me.

"Yes." I said honestly.

"Well, there you have it. The other side of the story."

"Does anyone in the tribe even remember what happened to the kittens?"

"Oh, I don't imagine that they do. I don't imagine that anyone even knows that she had kittens." My father murmured emotionlessly.

"So you didn't just cast them out of the junkyard when they were kittens but when they were newborns." I gulped. "And you wiped them away from history."

"It was for the best." My father replied coldly. "Do you even know what would have happened to them if they remained here?"

"They wouldn't have died." I whispered. " _That's_ what would have happened."

###

(Demeter's POV)

I stared up at the steel mill which Griddlebone had directed me to. Bomba was somewhere in there. I knew it.

I jumped over the fence that separated me from the mill and I ran as fast as I could towards the mill. There was no door that I could see. No obvious opening.

"Demeter?"


	14. Chapter 14

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

I whipped around to come face-to-face with Macavity. As much as I knew what he'd become, I couldn't help but feel the nostalgia of our childhood rush back to me. "Demeter?" he said again.

I couldn't do a thing except nod.

"I assume you're here for Bombalurina."

"Oh, do you have her?" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering my purpose again. "If you have her, just give her back to me, Macavity. And then there doesn't need to be any trouble-."

"Do you know me at all, Demie?" he laughed. "That'd be too easy. And nothing easy is worth doing."

The nostalgia I'd felt filling me with an odd sort of sadness quickly evaporated and turned to hate and anger. "Give her back." I snarled.

"Or you'll what?" he taunted. "Take a swipe at me and miss? Don't you remember how things were when we were kittens? You were always getting hurt, always on the sidelines."

"Well, I'm not a kitten anymore, am I?" I hissed, straightening up a little, hoping to look a little more intimidating.

Laughing at this attempt, Macavity rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous. You're every bit as much the kitten that you were when I left."

"Don't say that as if you just chose to leave. You were kicked out-."

"Still not quite over that." He murmured and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Is this all a joke to you?" I asked, anger filling my veins. "Everything always was a joke to you, wasn't it?"

"Demie, I have a view on life. And that's that life's not willing if one's not willing to let loose a little and have a little fun."

"A little fun? Is that what murdering Queens was to you? _Fun?_ "

Macavity rolled his eyes, annoyed at me. "I don't have time for you and your justice-seeking whining."

I was about to make a sharp remark at this, but he grabbed me by the arm before I could say anything and dragged me along behind him into the abandoned steel mill. The place reeked of death and sweat that had long since dried.

"Let. Me. Go." I managed to say, struggling against his hold.

"Stop moving." He grunted. "Do you _want_ scrapes on your legs?"

I hissed at him, taking the opportunity to yank my arms out of his grasp. "I can walk myself, thank you very much. And you know that I won't leave without Bomba so you can rest assured that I won't try to run away-."

"Oh, really?" he laughed. "From what I remember of you, you've always been running away from everything. Munkustrap's not hear to protect you, little Demeter."

"Munkustrap's job isn't to protect me. His job's to protect the tribe." I hissed. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

Macavity responded with a laugh, striding ahead of me. I winced a little in pain as I got to my feet, realizing at once that in my struggle, I had indeed injured my leg. Not willing to let Macavity know that I was right, I hurried after him, trying to mask my limp.

I soon found myself following Macavity through a hallway lined with cages. Inside the cages, beyond bars, were many cats. Their eyes were cold and lifeless, seemingly having lost all hope that once might have lived there. "What is this?" I asked Macavity, angry that he could do this to anyone.

"Think you can stomach it?" he asked, flashing me a toothy grin that one might've mistaken for a kind smile if they hadn't known him.

I hurriedly looked away from him and tried not to think about the horrible thing Macavity was up to now.

"Hmm. Guess not." He laughed, continuing on. "If it makes you feel any better, I've kept Bomba in much better conditions than this, her being a friend of mine and all."

"You lost all rights to calling yourself a friend when you killed those Queens. You lost that right when you threatened to kill Munkustrap and Tugger."

"Did I threaten to kill Munkustrap and Tugger? I hardly remember. It's all such a blur." He muttered, shrugging. "Don't tell me that they harbor hard feelings because of all of that."

"You stole them from me that day, you know?" I whispered, tears rising up in my eyes. I forced them down, knowing that Macavity would only tease me for them.

"You can hardly blame me for Munkustrap's paranoia." Macavity huffed, looking back at me, rolling his eyes. My eyes filled with confusion. "What?"

"Munkustrap isn't paranoid. He just… he just had to pick up the pieces of everything you left behind. He had to piece together everything and make everything right again. And he-."

Macavity threw his head back, laughing. "You think that Munkustrap stopped hanging around you because he was busy?" More laughter escaped his lips as he shook his head. "Ah, Demie. Munkustrap would have found time for you all if all there was to it was that he was busy. No, he was afraid of becoming like me and hurting you."

"He'd never-."

"Oh, of course not. He's too softhearted for all of that. But nonetheless, Munkustrap is Munkustrap. Admit it: it's not unlike him to run away from things that _could_ happen but _haven't_ happened yet. You see, _that's_ not living."

I hissed at Macavity.

"No need to be hostile, Demeter. I'm just opening your eyes to the truth."

" _Open your own eyes."_ I snarled and he chuckled.

"Never seen you be so protective of Munkustrap. What's changed?" he asked, laughing. Then, turning to look at me, his eyes mocked me with his clear amusement. "Oh, no…" he chuckled, shaking his head in mock sympathy. His eyes were full of cruel laughter. "Don't tell me that you've fallen for him-!"

"Of course not!" I cried out. "I don't see what he has to do with any of this anyways. And don't say that he has everything to do with this. That's what Griddlebone said-."

"Ah, so you cut a deal with Griddlebone, did you?" he laughed. "And Munkustrap helped you get there, did he?"

"Does it matter?"

Macavity shrugged nonchalantly. "I suppose not. After all, it's done now."

After this, he didn't speak to me for a long while. I was grateful for the silence as my patience was wearing thin. And yet, the silence was everything I'd feared it would be. It showed me the reality of what I was facing.

 _It's done now._

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I'd forgotten why I'd loved the night patrol so much after having done it for years. However, one night back at the den was quick to remind me.

My father forbade me from taking up the night patrol that night, telling me that Alonzo could take it instead. I grumbled a little at this. I knew as well as anyone that putting Alonzo on guard duty was only a little better than putting Tugger on guard. As much as I trusted my friend, it was hard to imagine him carefully watching the wall for anyone coming or going.

I knew that there was work I had to get done, things I had to figure out. Yet, I knew that as long as someone in the den was awake, chances of leaving and not being reported to my father were relatively low. My father was quick to retire to bed but Tugger, despite my earnest hopes, remained quite awake for most of the night. All night long, he seemed to have one friend or another around.

"Do you _ever_ sleep?" I asked Tugger, slightly annoyed.

"I could ask you the same question." He called back to me as he finally curled up on his own blanket.

"No more visits for tonight?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.

"Not as far as I know." He called back to me casually and I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

When my brother finally curled up on his blanket, I found that he fell asleep rather quickly, purring a little in his sleep. Taking one last look around the den, making sure that no one would suddenly wake up, I got to my feet and hurried out of the den soundlessly.

I quietly crept across the junkyard, making sure that neither Alonzo nor Skimbleshanks who were keeping guard would see me.

"Hello?" I whispered, poking my head into the den which was conveniently located at the most open, easily accessible area in the junkyard.

"Who's there?" a kind, happy voice called back and I let out a careful sigh of relief as I entered the den.

It was as good a place to start as any other.

###

(Demeter's POV)

Macavity pushed me into a room carelessly. I groaned in pain as my already hurt leg took the impact of the fall.

"Demie? What are you-?"

I looked up, knowing the voice that was addressing me.

"Bomba! Oh, you're here! You're really here!" I exclaimed, forcing myself to inch towards her, ignoring the pain spreading in my leg.

###

When Macavity was gone, Bomba carefully bandaged up my leg. "Demie, you shouldn't have come here. It's not safe for you-."

"It wasn't safe for you to come here either. Yet you did." I pointed out.

"That's different." She sighed, shaking her head. "You shouldn't have had to chase after me. Heavyside knows what terrors you had to suffer through to find this place-."

"I can only imagine how _you_ got here yourself." I admitted and Bomba laughed uncomfortably.

"Demie, you have to get out of here-."

"I'm not leaving without you." I said adamantly and she shook her head. "I came all this way to find you, I'm not leaving you here to rot!"

"Demeter, I've made my choice. There are only two options in this place. To keep fighting or to just give in. And Demie, I'm tired of fighting."

"But you can't give up! Bomba, I've seen what Macavity does to the other cats-."

"I've seen it too." She rasped. "But Demie, sometimes fighting's more trouble than it's worth. What's the use of fighting if you can never win?"

"You can't think that way!" I exclaimed. "Bomba, I… I've sacrificed too much to just quit here. I can only imagine that you had to make your sacrifices to get here too-."

She looked away from me, ashamed. "Demie, do you know why I came here?"

"I have my guesses." I whispered.

"I came here because I had a promise to keep." She replied quietly. "A-a-and… when I made the promise, I had intended to keep it. But with time, I realized that to keep that promise was to betray everything and everyone I loved. So, for years, it became a promise I had no intention of keeping. Until… until it dawned on me that keeping that promise might be able to make you happy again."

"What do you mean?" I squeaked, not sure if I was ready to hear what my sister might say to me.

"Demie, for the longest time after Macavity's betrayal, I hadn't seen you smile. I hadn't seen you laugh. And well… after he killed those Queens, you know what happened… Munkustrap withdrew himself from us, and you declined to play with Tugger and me. I, however, hadn't seen the extent of your sadness until I saw how happy you were when Munkustrap talked to you again after all those years. And I… I knew then that if I went to make good on my promise, perhaps you'd be able to smile like that forever."

"Wh-wh-what was your promise?" I asked weakly and my sister closed her eyes sadly, shaking her head.

"I… I promised Macavity that, one day, I'd find a way to bring him back to the junkyard." She whispered. As her words resonated in my heart, I gulped, looking down at my paws.

Bomba reached out for me, trying to comfort me but I turned away from her sharply, feeling betrayed.

"How could you?" I rasped weakly and my sister looked away from me, as if it were too painful to meet my eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

"Demie, you _have to understand_." My sister pleaded with me. "That was a promise made a long time ago-!"

"B-b-but even then, how could you have made that promise? You knew what he did, didn't you?"

"We were kittens, Demie! I thought… I thought that perhaps it was accidental-."

"Nothing Macavity did was ever accidental. Even when he tripped one of us during our games… it was all so that he could win. Because _that's_ the only thing that's really important to him. Winning. Being the best. Feeling alive."

"And I see that now."

"Yet you still came here." I whispered. "You still came here, planning to keep your promise. Why, Bomba? _Why?_ "

"Because I know that the only reason why Munkustrap is in the position that he's in is because Macavity's no longer around. And I know that you love him-."

"I don't love him-."

"If you didn't love him, then you wouldn't have stuck with him." Bombalurina pointed out.

I turned away from my sister again.

"But," she continued. "Whether you see it or not, Demie, I knew that to bring back Macavity would be to solve one problem-."

"And open a whole bag of other problems." I cut her off. "As much as Munku doesn't want to be the next Jellicle leader, he'd never want to escape his responsibility by letting _Macavity_ take his place. He'd never-."

"Don't tell me that you're letting Munkustrap turn you into one of his rule-following minions." Macavity murmured, annoyed as he entered into the room. "And, stop yelling at your sister, won't you? I've heard from Griddlebone, you know? She sent you, didn't she?"

"She didn't send me." I hissed at him, baring my teeth. "I bargained with her."

"Oh, well… in that case, I suppose that you made some sort of deal… and if that's true, then I'm nearly certain that it's not something you're proud of." Macavity chuckled. "Something about killing my father?"

"I-." I began to protest.

"No, no…" Macavity laughed. "I'm impressed. Didn't think that you'd be able to stomach such a task. How did my brother respond to that?"

I didn't grace him with an answer. "As much as I loathe Griddlebone, I am _pleased_ to say that she and I do agree on one thing."

"Oh, and what might that be?"

"That _you will never be_ the Jellicle leader." I spat and turned on him and my sister.

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

Jennyanydot's bright smile greeted me as I quietly entered the den. "Oh, Munkustrap! I heard that you'd returned! Skimble told me."

I smiled to the best of my ability. "Did he tell you anything else?"

"Well… that you didn't return with either Demeter or Bombalurina…"

I nodded weakly. "And I intend to only return once I've got them with me." I replied.

"You're taking off again?" she asked, her smile falling from her face. "Munkustrap, you should rest-."

"No time." I said kindly, shaking my head. "But, there is something that I need."

"Oh, anything within my power! Really, anything!"

Nodding, I took in the den quietly. "This… this is a nice rug." I said lamely, smiling at her.

"You really think so?"

I nodded.

"Do you want the rug?" she asked abruptly, eying me suspiciously.

"No!" I cried out, shaking my head vehemently. "No, no… I…"

She laughed. "If you wanted it, you could have it, you know?"

I shook my head, waving this away. "Well, you see, the real reason for my coming is that I… I was wondering if you remembered Lady Griddlebone."

"Lady Griddlebone? Well, why of course! How on earth could I possibly have forgotten her?"

I nodded. "Do you remember her having kittens?" I asked, laying out everything before this cat whom, throughout my life, had become a sort of mother to me.

Jennyanydot's generally happy expression fell from her face and she turned away from me. "I…I had thought that-."

"That they'd been forgotten?" I asked quietly and she nodded, looking at me again.

"Yes. Oh, they were sweet things…"

"How many of them were there?" I whispered.

"Seven."

I gulped. "Seven lives, then? That's how many that were lost…"

"No." Jennyanydots sighed. "Only five."

"But you said that seven-."

"Seven were born. Five were sent away with Griddlebone." She sighed. "I managed to keep two tucked safely away from the world-."

"But I thought-."

" _No one_ knows, Munkustrap." She said gravely.

"No on?" I asked. "Are you certain? What about Griddlebone herself?"

Jennyanydots merely shook her head sadly. "The pains were so horrible with her that she fainted from the pain… and I… I did try to save them all. But I couldn't. I only had time to save the two and I-."

"She doesn't know?" I gulped.

 _This could change everything…_

"No, I do not think that she does. And it's better that way, Munkustrap. If she did know, I'm almost certain that your father would have found out about them too. And that wouldn't have done…"

"Are they—the kittens, I mean—still here? In the junkyard? Who are they?"

"Really, I've said too much-."

" _Please_." I pleaded with her, grasping her paw tightly. "It's important. I wouldn't be asking if it weren't important."

Looking about the den, as if worried that someone might overhear our conversation, Jennyanydots closed her eyes and a silent tear trailed down her cheek. "Victoria and Mistoffelees."

###

(Demeter's POV)

"Demie, please, just listen to me-." My sister pleaded, but I turned away from her again, still refusing to look at her.

"If you're going to intercede for _him_ then I don't want to hear it."

"We can help each other." She whispered, ignoring my anger. "Demie, we've both made mistakes-."

"I know." I whispered, feeling tears well up in my eyes again. "Believe me, _I know_. It's all that I can think about these days."

Bomba took my paw gently and this time I didn't recoil angrily. Just glad to have my sister back, I buried my face into her fur and wept.

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

Jennyanydots' words fell to the ground between us and the silence that followed seemed to be so agonizingly loud that I wanted nothing more than for it to leave the place.

I opened my mouth to say anything but all that came of it was nonsensical sputtering and stuttering. "Are you certain?" I said after a few minutes, still trying to wrap my head around what had just been revealed to me.

"Certain as I am that Old Deuteronomy's your father." She nodded sadly. "I… I knew that I couldn't hide them forever, so I told Skimble that I found them just outside of the junkyard and well, you know Skimble… he's always had a heart for lost, unwanted ones. So we took them in as our own." She explained. "Oh, and they're the sweetest little kittens in the world. Wouldn't ever hurt a soul, oh, no, they wouldn't."

"Th-th-thank you." I managed. "This has been most helpful-."

"Oh, Munkustrap, you do understand, don't you?" she pleaded with me.

I looked at the older cat with sad eyes and clasped her paw tightly and nodded. "I only wish that I could say that everyone had as big a heart as you." I smiled weakly and she pulled me into a tight embrace.

"You always were a good Tom." She whispered, looking at my face before letting me go. "Promise me one thing?"

I nodded warily. "Anything."

"Just… just promise that you'll come back in one piece, won't you?"

I smiled and nodded. "I… I'll do my best."

With that being said and done, I hurriedly left the den, still careful to remain quiet. I climbed up to the wall and Alonzo's eyes widened when he saw me.

"Came to take up the night watch?" he asked. "Thought you weren't supposed to-."

"No… I… I have to leave."

"Again? Munkustrap, what good could come of leaving again?" my friend asked, shaking his head.

"It might not be worth it at the end of the day… but I… I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't do what I must."

"You ought to take someone along-." Alonzo started to say.

"No. Absolutely not. I… I have to do this on my own. Just… just look after the tribe for me, won't you?" I asked and he hesitated for a moment but nodded. "Thank you." I said, starting my descent over the other side of the wall.

"Hey." Alonzo said abruptly, causing me to pause and look back at him. "We don't tell you this nearly enough but… we wouldn't be able to get by without you. So… come back, okay?"

I gulped and nodded. It was all that I could do.


	16. Chapter 16

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

"Come on, Demie. We can't sit around here forever and cry our hearts out. You said it yourself: we can't give up."

"B-b-but I thought that you said that you gave up already."

Bomba flashed me one of her brightest smiles and hugged me tightly. "Demie, you've taught me a lot of things. But, if I had to pick one of the most important things… it'd be that you've taught me that it's never too late to get back up and change."

"Well, maybe not for you." I sighed, doing my best to smile at her, glad to have her back. "But as for me… I don't know if there's any going back on my deal."

"What _exactly_ did you agree to do for Griddlebone, Demeter? You never did tell me-."

"I'm afraid to." I admitted, sighing. "Griddlebone has a way of _seeing_ people. And I don't mean 'seeing' like you're seeing me now. No… she could _really see me_. She… I don't know. It was as if I were a book and she were reading me. She knew just the things to say to make me break down. She knew exactly what I was afraid of. And… I think that she understood better than I ever could that something in me believes that saying things aloud makes them real."

"But you know, Demie, sometimes _real_ doesn't mean _bad._ After all, you can't fight things that aren't real." She whispered kindly, nuzzling me like she always used to. "Besides, I can't help you with it if you don't tell me what it is. So… take a deep breath… and just take your time, okay?"

I nodded and forced myself to smile at her. "Yeah… okay."

Gulping, I did what Bomba told me to: I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and counted to three. "Griddlebone… well, you know what she did. It's… well… it's no secret. And well, she got kicked out of the junkyard."

"Everyone knows that, Demie." Bomba said kindly, shaking her head.

"Yes, but… but what people don't ever tell you is that… that she had kittens. Kittens that were sent away with her. Kittens that died out there because she couldn't keep them alive on her own. She couldn't shield and protect them from the world."

I saw Bomba's eyes fill with what I thought must have been tears as she looked away from me in sadness.

"What's wrong?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"It's just… I feel bad, that's all. I feel… I feel like somehow I've misjudged her my whole life, just going off of what I'd heard from the others."

I sighed and sat beside her. "It's not as if she's a saint. Oh, she's anything but. But yes, I guess that you're right. We do oftentimes misjudge her. I don't suppose… I don't suppose that she'd be all so horrible if she weren't so sad. Oh, she is very sad, I suppose. Well, after all, who wouldn't be after having their poor babies dying without being able to do anything about it."

"What deal did she make with you?" Bomba asked quietly. "That is, if you don't mind telling me…"

I smiled weakly and rested my head gently on her shoulder. "Well… perhaps there's something to what you were telling me earlier… you know… maybe… maybe if I just say it… it'll become something that we can deal with. Together."

"Together?" my sister asked, smiling at me and I nodded.

"Yeah. Together." I gulped, nodding quietly. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to take a few deep breaths. "So… I… well, that is… Griddlebone… she cut me a deal in which she'd tell me where to find Macavity—and you, of course—if I'd kill Old Deuteronomy for what he did to her kittens."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I hurried back towards where Griddlebone lived. I hoped that she'd still be there. I hoped that she wouldn't play any of her nonsensical games in which she just hid herself until she desired to be found.

I didn't have time.

"Griddlebone!" I called out as I approached the street which she haunted. "Griddlebone, I… I-."

"Well, well, well… if it's not the future Jellicle leader. Or perhaps, if your dear Demeter—sweet girl, isn't she?—did her job, you're already the Jellicle leader." She smiled evilly and I grimaced.

"For what it's worth, Demeter's nowhere to be found."

"Probably still dealing with Macavity." She murmured, her smile turning to a sneer in a split second. "That cat is tricky-."

"I thought that you worked for him-."

"No." she laughed, for the first time sounding like something other than the sick, twisted cat that I knew she was. "But we have an understanding, he and I."

"Small talk's all well and good, Lady Griddlebone, but I'd rather like to bring to your attention a more pressing matter-."

She laughed again. This time, it was different, though. It was a deranged, sad laugh that, had I not been horrified by it, might've broken my heart. "I don't see what sort of news you could have to bring to me, Munkustrap." She spat and I recoiled a little. My name sounded like a curse on her lips and I wanted to turn around and go back to the junkyard, forgetting what I had to tell her. And yet, I knew that it wasn't her that I was doing it for. I was doing it for Demie. I was doing it for Bomba. I was doing it for my father.

"It's… it's news about your kittens."

"What do _you_ know about them?" she snarled. "Nothing. You have no right to-."

"You're right." I nodded, stepping back a little. "I know next to nothing about your kittens. And it's a downright shame too-."

"What are you here for anyways?" she hissed. "To torture me? Go on, torture me some more. Finish what your father started."

I looked down at my paws, still not able to come to terms with the fact that my father could have sent five kittens to their deaths when they hadn't even had a chance at life. "I…"

"Just go home." She said. "Leave me to rot here. I'll be happy when I know your father's dead. Maybe then I'll be able to die and see my babies again. Maybe then they'll forgive me."

She stared at me, her cold eyes piercing my soul as it were, before turning away from me and walking away slowly. Every step was weak, staggering. I wanted to call out to her and tell her what I'd come to tell her but all I could do was fall to my knees and shed a tear for the Queen whom we all had shunned and condemned to such a horrible fate.


	17. Chapter 17

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

Griddlebone was not, by anyone's standards, a saint. No, of course not. But I could not, not with all of the knowledge I'd acquired in the last few days, hate her and view her as the villain I'd always been taught to see her as. I'd seen the sadness in her eyes and I'd known that somehow, all my life, I'd been wrong about her. Eyes are the window of the soul, they say. Griddlebone's soul, then, was a mess of pain, hurt, and grief.

There's something called despair. And I believe that it has something to do with losing the light in your life—your reason to live. _That's_ what I saw in Griddlebone's eyes. Nothingness. The lack of joy. And I felt responsible for it. I felt that it was my fault. And so I saw little that I could do but curl up on the ground and wait for Griddlebone to show herself again."

###

(Demeter's POV)

Bomba paced the room anxiously, as if debating the morality of the deal I'd made with Griddlebone.

"There's not much to it, Bomba. I can't… I can't keep my promise."

"But Demie, it'd be justice-."

"Who am I to take justice into my own hands?" I asked, shaking my head. "No one."

"But Demie, you've _got to_."

"I know." I whispered, horrified. Still, the very thought of what I had agreed to do nearly brought tears of anger to my eyes. "But it's not right."

"And yet, what Old Deuteronomy did to those kittens wasn't right either." My sister replied and I sighed. "All Griddlebone wants is justice served where justice ought to have been served all those years ago."

"Is murder a valid form of justice? I don't think so. No, Bomba, Griddlebone doesn't want justice. She just wants revenge."

"In this case, I'd say that it's much the same thing."

I let out a heavy sigh. "Revenge, justice." I murmured. "Either way, it's not right for me to interfere."

My sister didn't reply, looking forlornly at the ceiling. "What if I were to do it for you?" she asked abruptly and I shook my head vehemently.

"I wouldn't let you. Bomba, it's my deal to fulfill. _I_ will suffer the consequences."

"Demie, it's my fault that you got into this mess in the first place." She whispered, smiling at me weakly. "You've been so strong for so long, Demie. Maybe it's my turn to be strong now."

I shook my head. "No. I won't give up. Not yet."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

With days passing by, I felt myself feeling more and more hopeless. With each day, I felt the hours and even the minutes seem longer, more painful. Each second that passed by left me feeling weaker. I felt tired, I felt ready to give up. And yet, I knew that I couldn't. Not for my own sake, or even for Demie's, but for Griddlebone's. Somewhere deep down, I felt that I owed it to her to tell her that two of her kittens were alive, and perhaps even wondering who their mother was.

I found myself having more time to just _think_ than I ever had had since I was a kitten. I thought of those times before Macavity's betrayal in which he, Tugger, Demeter, Bombalurina, and I would play around the junkyard from early morning until the last light of the day was spent. I thought about all of the things I wanted to do that I'd never done because I knew that the wants and needs of the tribe always had to come before my own. I thought of what Demeter might be doing. I thought of what might be going on in the junkyard. I thought of the future, in which, I dreamed that there were endless days of laughter and sun. And then, thinking about the future made me think back to the promise I'd made to Jennyanydots.

" _Just… just promise that you'll come back in one piece, won't you?"_

And as I thought on that, I found myself wondering if I'd ever get back at all.

###

(Demeter's POV)

As my leg healed from the damage I'd done it when I'd first arrived at the steel mill, I found myself wandering about the steel mill more freely. I tried to avoid the hall of cages in which Macavity kept dozens of cats locked away. I tried to avoid crossing paths with Macavity. But as it happened, he oftentimes made it his business to accompany me on my wanderings through the place.

"You're horrible at being sneaky." Macavity snorted, rolling his eyes at me as I followed him through the steel mill, looking about.

"What?" I hissed.

"You think that I don't know that every time you walk around the place you're looking for a way to get out?" he asked, chuckling. "It's quite obvious, the way you go about it."

I opened my mouth to defend myself but Macavity merely laughed.

"Go on, keep looking for your way out of here. Maybe you'll eventually succeed. Who knows? But, whatever you do, please don't try going out that way." He said, vaguely gesturing to the door I'd been scrutinizing moments before. "I wouldn't like to find you torn to pieces." He said in a tone of mock sweetness that made me grimace.

But, even as I trudged on after him, I made a mental note to add that door to the list of unsafe ways out of the mill.

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

When Griddlebone finally showed herself again, I was quick to get to my feet and run after her. Once she saw me, she quickly turned away, desperate to avoid me, it would seem.

"Wait!" I called after her. "Please, wait! I have to-."

"You have to tell me something about my kittens, right?" she spat. "You told me that last time. Well, my answer remains the same: _leave me alone here to rot._ Who cares if I'm miserable? No one. Heavyside knows that most of you probably think that I deserve it."

" _I_ don't think that you deserve this. I don't think that _anyone_ deserves it-."

"Much good it does for you to say that now!" She snapped, shaking her head. "It's too late. You can't bring my kittens back to me. So there's no point. The more you say, the more I hurt."

"B-b-but what if I could bring two of them back to you?" I whispered.

She stopped and turned to look at me. A few moments of silence past between us before she spat at me and continued on. There were tears in her eyes. As if I'd hurt her. As if I were telling her some sort of cruel joke.

"Just listen to me, won't you?" I called after her. "If you'd just listen-."

"I don't know what sort of game that you're playing, Munkustrap, but more than anything, I think that now, you ought to go. I'm in no mood for games." She hissed and I ran after her, still persistent.

"How many kittens did you have?" I asked, blocking her way.

Huffing, she rolled her eyes, looking as if she had half a mind to turn around and find another way back home. "Five." She snarled, then pushed past me.

"What if I were to tell you that you had seven?" I asked, hurrying after her, determined not to let her get away.

Griddlebone, however, stopped in her tracks and slowly turned to look at me. Her eyes were cold and fierce and they sent a shiver down my spine. Something about her made me want to retreat and run away. In those moments, as she stared at me, I wondered at how Demie stood her ground so long.

"I'd say that you were a liar. And a cruel one. Let me alone! Just leave me here to die."

"I want to make a deal." I said, hoping that I sounded more confident than I felt.

"A deal, you say?" Griddlebone asked, whirling around to look at me. "What game are you playing, boy?" she snarled, hostile as ever.

I took in a deep, shaky breath. "I can tell you about the two kittens you never met and, if you so desire, I can find a way for you to see them." I said. " _If_ -."

" _If_ what?" she huffed.

I took a shaky, weak breath. "If you'll let Demie off of her end of the deal."

###

 _ ***Sorry this chapter was a little all over the place and pretty disorganized! I couldn't decide on the right way to order everything, but this was what I ended up with! Anyways, I hope that you're all enjoying this! Thank you all so much for the reviews that you've been leaving; they definitely inspire me to write more! Hope you all are doing well!**_


	18. Chapter 18

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Demeter's POV)

Dreams are odd things. Sometimes, in my dreams, I think that I see the junkyard. Sometimes I think that I see my family sitting around in our tiny den. It would have been before they died. I barely remembered them and I was sure that being cooped up in the steel mill was driving me to insanity bit by bit.

 _I have to hang tight._ I thought to myself, shaking my head. Bomba was asleep, snoring softly. I stayed awake most nights, doing my best not to let the sleep take me… trying to ward off the dreams and keep them far away from me.

Every once in a while, my eyelids would grow heavy, daring to thrust me into the dream worlds I so dreaded and was desperate to avoid. They were wearing me down slowly, making me want, more and more, to get out of Macavity's lair. And yet, with every day that passed me by, I saw my chances trickling down the drain. Every possible exit I'd examined seemed to lead nowhere or to sudden destruction.

 _I need to get out of here._

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

Griddlebone narrowed her eyes at me and turned her back on me. But, she didn't walk away.

"How do I know that you're not going to feed me false information? How do I know that you're not just trying to save your precious Demie and will hand me kittens that you found somewhere on the street?"

"Do I look like I'd do that-?"

"People do crazy things for love." She muttered, shaking her head. "No deal."

###

(Demeter's POV)

"There _has to be_ a way out of here." I growled to myself, pacing around the room.

"Aww… it's not so bad in here, is it?" Macavity asked, sneaking up on me once again. I jumped in surprise and hissed at him angrily. "Hey, no need to be hostile-."

"I'm not being _hostile_." I hissed, continuing in my pacing around the room. "I'm just desperate. Desperate to get out of here. I need to get Bombalurina home to the junkyard and then… and then-."

"And then you've got to kill my father." He said with a thin smile.

"Y-y-y-yes."

He laughed. "You don't want to do it?"

" _Of course not_." I snarled. "I'm not like _you._ Goodness's sake, I know that you would go ahead and do it gladly, without a second thought-."

Shrugging, Macavity smiled. "Perhaps. But you might as well see your imprisonment here as a mercy. As long as you stay here, you can put off doing what you so dread-."

"For all I know, Griddlebone is getting bored with me. She could be getting impatient-."

"And?" Macavity cut me off, clearly not entertained with this line of conversation any longer.

"And she could hurt your brother-."

At this, Macavity burst out laughing.

"What?" I hissed, not taking kindly to the notion of being laughed at by someone—most certainly not by Macavity. I'd had enough of that as a child and I had no intention to suffer more of that now.

"It's just Munkustrap. Not my 'brother.' Heavyside knows that I couldn't care less about him and what happens to him. All the more reason to rejoice if some sort of misfortune befalls him."

"Why? You haven't seen him in years and he never did you any wrong-."

He shrugged. "No, perhaps not. But then, Munkustrap's never done anyone any wrong. Boring, if you ask me-."

"Don't talk about him as if he were some-."

"I'll do what I please. As far as I'm concerned, you're at _my_ mercy at the moment and not the other way around. But Demie, _you've_ always liked Munkustrap more than me. That's offensive enough to me."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

"Who says I'm in love with Demeter-?" I asked, stumbling across my words, not willing to admit the truth that had been looming over my head for a while now.

Griddlebone huffed and stalked away, not buying my clumsily said words.

"Wait-."

"I don't trust you." she called back to me, quickening her pace but I kept up with her.

" _You_ don't trust _me_." I deadpanned. "You do see the irony in that, don't you?"

"I don't care much for irony." She muttered, clearly annoyed by me.

"Nonetheless, that doesn't explain why you don't want to trust me." I pointed out and she glared at me.

"Does the fact that your father might as well have killed my kittens in front of me—for that is essentially what he did—explain why I might not be so keen on trusting you?" she asked me and I looked down at the ground. " _Exactly_."

"But what if I were to give you my word?"

"Words can be broken."

"Be that as it may-."

"Leave an old Queen to die, won't you? It's all that's left for me now anyways and I'd much rather accept death as my fate than suffer any more pain from you." she cried melodramatically but I knew that there was some truth lurking behind the bravado of her voice.

"And yet, you would never get to meet your kittens." I argued, not willing to let Griddlebone escape me again.

The usual strength that was ever present in Griddlebone's eyes faded and revealed a pained, tormented cat who had long forgotten what it meant to smile.

"Listen to me for just a moment, please." I begged her in a soft voice. "We both… we both have lost those important to us. For you, it was your kittens. For me, well, for me it's been Demie. I can bring you your kittens—your two youngest—if you'll just tell me where I can find Demie."

Griddlebone turned to look at me, sadness evident in her eyes and then she looked away. "I want to see the kittens first."

I nodded. "I can arrange that-."

"No, I don't think that you understand what I mean." She replied, shaking her head. "I want to _see_ them. But I… I don't want to meet them. Not just yet."

"Then I'll need to bring you to the junkyard." I said calmly and she looked at me, her eyes wide.

"Not that-."

"It's the only way." I sighed. "For as much as Jennyanydots might trust me, I do believe that Skimbleshanks has lost faith in me and would never allow me to take them away from the junkyard without a thorough explanation of what's going on and Skimble doesn't know and-."

Griddlebone stopped me.

"I'm rambling, aren't I?"

What seemed to me to be an attempt at amusement flashed across Griddlebone's features. "Perhaps." She replied shortly. "But you say that Jennyanydots has been-."

"Oh, yes. She's been taking care of them ever since their little lives began." I replied, nodding. "She loves them so."

"Yes, she would." Griddlebone replied softly, turning away from me a little. "Bless her heart." She whispered.

I smiled weakly at this. "Shall we go then?"

"Wait." Griddlebone said, stopping me. "One more thing?"

"What is it?"

"What are their names?" she inquired softly.

"Victoria and Mistoffelees. Though Mistoffelees is more often called Quaxo-."

And then, Griddlebone did what I had thought impossible.

She smiled.

###

(Demeter's POV)

I snarled at Macavity. "I _will_ find a way out of here-."

"And I will be very impressed if that ever does happen." He reassured me, patting my paw patronizingly. "But, as of now, _no one_ has gotten out of here and I don't believe that you will be the one to discover the way out."

"You never did have any faith in me." I muttered, rolling my eyes at this.

"Do you wish that I did?"

"No." I called back to him as I started on my way down to where Bomba was still fast asleep. "It would make wiping that smug smile off of your face so much less satisfactory if you did."

When I was safe within the confines of our room again, I closed my eyes and curled up close to Bomba. Not to sleep, but rather just to be near her. Because I had made up my mind about two things. One, I would never lose my sister again. And two?

That I would get us out of Macavity's lair alive.


	19. Chapter 19

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Demeter's POV)

"Demie, you've got to sleep." Bomba whispered, shaking her head at me. "You simply have to. You can't go on like this forever-."

"But I still can continue for a little while longer. Just until we get out of here, Bomba." I told her, busying myself with pacing around the room.

 _Just a little longer._

And then, Bomba voiced the fears I'd been holding onto for so long, taking my paw in hers. "But what if we _don't_ get out?"

I looked away from her, not willing to let her see the tears that were welling up in my eyes from frustration, fatigue, and sadness. "We will. We _have_ to."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

It was impossible to cover my desired amount of ground with Griddlebone in tow. For as much as she was quite healthy for her age, I was not willing to push her past her limits.

"We can rest here for tonight." I said softly, acknowledging the tree that was just ahead of us. "If we keep this pace, we'll arrive at the junkyard tomorrow night."

"And then I'll get to see my kittens." Griddlebone smiled in a weak, almost pained way. And yet, at the same time, for all the pain that I could see her feeling, there was something blithe about her expression. "Tell me something about them. N-n-not the typical things like what their favorite colors are. Just… something that's unique to them." She asked of me and I eased against the tree, thinking.

I smiled a little, finally thinking of the perfect thing to tell her. "They love watching the sun rise. Before I leave my post—I'm generally on the night watch—they come up to where I'm sitting and watch the sun come up. After the sun's risen and I'm on my way back down into the junkyard, they always hurry to see Skimble off to the morning train."

A cackling, weak sound escaped Griddlebone's lips and she smiled. When I next looked over at her, she was sound asleep.

###

(Demeter's POV)

When I was sure that Bombalurina was fast asleep, I got to my feet and quietly crept out of the room. I prayed that Macavity too was asleep.

 _He has to sleep sometime, right?_ I thought to myself.

The halls were dark and I took a deep breath and ventured down the stairs I hadn't taken since I arrived at the place. Even as I approached the hall with the cages, I could hear tears and cries of pain. I had half a mind to turn away, afraid that I wouldn't be able to face what— _who_ —I might encounter.

"Hello?" I piped quietly as I entered the hall. The place fell silent as soon as I spoke and an air of fear echoed throughout the room. "I… well, this might be awfully presumptuous of me but I was hoping that you might-."

"Know of a way to escape?" I heard someone finish for me in an amused, scoffing tone. "If we did, do you think that we'd still be here?"

"I-."

"Just be glad that you're not down here with us." Someone agreed and I looked down at my paws in shame.

"I-I'm sorry-."

"What for? It's not as if you've done anything wrong. Go back upstairs to your room and be content with what you've got." The first voice called back but I stood my ground.

"But I-."

"Quit dreaming. We've all _tried._ Don't think that we haven't."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

"Just a little further…" I reassured Griddlebone. "We're almost there. I can see the junkyard from here. Come on, we'll be there by sundown-."

"B-b-but what happens once we get there?" she asked and I stopped, realizing that I hadn't thought to consider this very important question.

I thought about it for a moment and looked back at her. "Well… I… I'm almost certain that they'll come out to the wall tomorrow morning to look at the sunrise." I told her softly. "We'll spend the night just outside of the junkyard and you'll be able to see them."

"They're so close…"

I nodded. "Yes, that they are."

"Do they like you?" she asked abruptly as we continued on and I looked over at her, a slight smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Well, I suppose that they might." I chuckled. "They've never told me otherwise. They always do quite like to be a part of the plays that I arrange from time to time."

"They do?" she asked, her eyes lighting up a little and her pace quickening.

I smiled and nodded. "They are more dedicated than many of the others. Especially Victoria. She sometimes helps with keeping the younger ones in line."

"I've missed those ridiculous plays you and your friends used to put on as kittens." She muttered and I grinned.

"Really?"

She sent me a glare and I looked towards the junkyard, still smiling to myself.

###

(Demeter's POV)

"Dreaming!" I scoffed, shaking my head as I went back up to Bomba and I's room. I was sorry that I'd went down to the hall at all.

I looked at Bomba's sleeping form on her pile of curtains and I sighed. "We _can_ get out of here." I whispered to myself. "And we _will_."


	20. Chapter 20

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I watched over Griddlebone as she slept. We were just outside of the junkyard, at a place from which we could perfectly see the wall and yet, where we would likely not be seen. Home was just out of reach, and yet, I was not to enter in. This was only the beginning. After all, after Griddlebone saw her kittens, she'd either decide to take me up on my deal or not. With every passing day it seemed more and more likely to me that she would accept, but the more cynical side of me scoffed at the idea and told me that this whole endeavor had been a waste of time.

But, if Griddlebone _did_ tell me where to find Macavity, all that was left to do was to find Demie and Bomba and return back to the junkyard, triumphant. I only hoped that Demie and Bomba were safe out of Macavity's reach or that he wouldn't dare to hurt them. I had no doubt in my heart that he would hurt them if it came down to it.

Forcing these thoughts out of my mind, I fixated my eyes on Griddlebone and sighed, looking back up at the wall.

###

(Demeter's POV)

"Bomba." I whispered, startling my sister awake and she looked up at me, her eyes tired.

"What?" she asked. "Demie, you're still not sleeping? Honestly-."

"Shh." I hushed her softly. "Don't worry about that. It's just a little longer." I promised her. "Because… because we're going to get out of this infernal place-."

"You've been saying that ever since you've come here." She sighed, sitting up a little and I smiled sadly.

"Yes, but I mean to get out of here tonight." I told her and her eyes lit up.

"You don't mean to tell me that you've found a way out of here?"

I looked away from her. "Well… I…" I mumbled. "I have a plan. That's the important part."

"And I don't suppose that you plan on telling me what this plan of yours involves?"

"No," I admitted. _Because you wouldn't like it._ I thought to myself and merely smiled at my sister.

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

"H-hey…" I whispered, waking Griddlebone. "Sunrise is well on its way and if they plan on coming out at all, they'll be there soon."

"Who was on the night watch last night?" she asked me.

"Alonzo. I made him promise to fill in for me before I was gone. I do believe that he'd have done it without my asking anyways."

"That fond of you, is he?"

I shrugged and that was all that passed between us. That seemed to be well enough for Griddlebone who fixed her eyes on the wall, hopeful. I couldn't help but smile at this and I curled up on the ground, gazing up at my usual perch. Alonzo was pacing back and forth, seeming distracted and ready to leave the post and head home. I shook my head a little, amused, but glad that he was doing as he said he would.

It was only moments until I heard the kittens laughing and smiling at the sunrise, pointing out all of the colors that they could see on the horizon. "Th-they're beautiful." Griddlebone whispered, smiling, her eyes full of tears. She clung close to me and let out a light, breathy laugh.

I nodded and smiled back at her.

"And Victoria… she… she looks-."

"Like you." I finished for her, nodding and I saw a soft, solitary tear trickle down her cheek.

"And they're alive." She whispered. "And I almost never knew."

We fell silent and tried to listen to what they were saying to one another. "Alonzo, when will Munkustrap be back?" Quaxo asked and Victoria nodded animatedly.

"Can't say that I do." Alonzo admitted but it was clear that he was trying to keep a positive, upbeat tone. "But it'll have to be soon, won't it?"

"Y-yes!" Victoria sputtered. "It _will_ have to be soon! We can't rehearse for the play without Munkustrap! And oh, he will be frustrated if it doesn't work out quite right."

At this, Alonzo laughed a little. "Yes, but it never does go quite as planned, does it?"

Quaxo frowned. "No, I suppose not. But if you see him, you'll tell him that we've been working hard at our parts?"

"Of course." He replied, smiling gently. "Now, you two ought to run off. You wouldn't want to miss Skimble on his way out."

The two kittens quickly forgot the sunrise and my disappearance and hurried away, laughing and calling to one another as they went.

"They do quite love you, don't they?" Griddlebone whispered and I looked over at her.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, baffled.

"They work so hard to make your play just right and well… they _care_ about you. They miss you. I wonder if they… if they knew about me, if they'd miss me."

Looking down at my paws, I sighed and nodded. "I'm sure that they would." I said honestly and she smiled at me weakly.

"They're so pure and I… I'm so…"

"Don't say that." I said, stopping her.

"But if it's true-."

I shook my head. "But it's not true."

She looked back at the wall which was now vacant, Alonzo having left his post. Then, she laughed a hard, cackling laugh. "Are you ever cruel?"

"I try not to be."

"It must have been easy for Demeter to fall in love with you."

I looked down at the ground, my eyes burning. "But she didn't." I replied, shaking my head. "She left me." I managed, hating to recount the goodbye that Demie had given me. "She left me before I could even tell her that I love her."

Griddlebone shook her head and smiled at me weakly. "Silly, aren't you?"

"What?" I gaped at her. "There's nothing silly about it. It _hurts_." I said, almost hissing at her.

" _Of course it hurts_." Griddlebone muttered. "But it hurts her too, you know? I'm willing to bet that it hurts her more than it hurts you."

"Then why did she do it?" I inquired, shaking my head. "Why would she hurt herself like that?"

"Because she likely wanted to save you, you fool." She murmured, shaking her head. "Really, how blind can two cats be?"

###

(Demeter's POV)

"Demie, I don't like this."

I looked back at my sister. "I haven't even told you the plan."

"Precisely."

Shaking my head, I smiled at my sister. "Believe me, if you knew the plan, it'd only make it worse. Now, what you're to do is just run. Run and don't look back. You know where the main entrance is?"

"Know it? Of course I know it. I came in that way."

"Good." I said. "Then you run to the main entrance."

"Demie, it can't be easy as all that, can it?"

"I don't suppose so." I replied, absentmindedly.

"What if Macavity stops us?"

"Oh, I suppose that he might try to." I admitted, nodding. "But he won't stop you. _You_ are going to run and run and not look back. You're going to go all of the way back to the junkyard and you're going to continue on with your life."

"I don't like the way you say that…" she whispered, looking at me and I smiled weakly.

"Don't worry about me, Bomba."

"Demie, you're my little sister. I'm supposed to worry-."

"I'm going to be fine. And I… I have a plan for getting myself out as well but first, you have to get away."

"But what if Macavity hurts you?"

I recalled how I'd hurt my leg when I'd first arrived and Macavity had done very little to achieve that much. But all the same, I smiled, pretending to be confident and sure of what I was doing.

When I determined that it was time to execute the plan, I hugged Bomba tightly and sent her running towards the door.

 _This has to work._

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

"You offered me a deal, didn't you?" Griddlebone asked, peering up at me and I nodded slowly, praying that she would accept.

"I did, yes." I agreed.

"And you offered to arrange for me to meet them—my kittens, I mean?"

"I could find a way, if that's what you'd like for me to do." I nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly.

Griddlebone nodded and looked back up at the wall. "They… they looked so happy."

"I do suppose that they are." I agreed. "They're well-cared for and well-loved."

"Mr. Munkustrap? Is that you?" I heard a voice say and I whirled around to find bright eyes staring up at me.

"Quaxo? Victoria? What are you doing out here?"

"We just went to see Papa off to the train." Victoria replied quietly, smiling at me.

"Oh, well, I suppose that it is about that time, isn't it? But why are you coming home this way? The railroad's on the other side of the junkyard-."

"We thought that if we came this way, we might find you coming back!" Quaxo stepped in, nuzzling my leg gently and I smiled down at them.

"And we were right!" Victoria exclaimed, clearly ecstatic. "If you'd have hurried back a little quicker, you could have seen the sunrise with us! It was beautiful!"

"Oh, was it?" I asked.

"It was!" Victoria said enthusiastically, bobbing her head up and down. "Truly, it was."

"Mr. Munkustrap, who's that?" Quaxo asked, looking over at Griddlebone who'd hidden herself behind me. When I looked back at her, her eyes were wide with shock.

"Th-this is…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say. "This is… well, that is to say-."

"Jemima." Griddlebone spoke up. "I'm Jemima."

Quaxo quirked his head to the side and smiled. "Hey… you look like Vicki."

"Really?" Griddlebone laughed a little, smiling.

"Are you coming to live with us at the junkyard, Miss Jemima?" Victoria asked timidly.

Griddlebone blushed a little and turned away, concealing what I knew to be tears. "Oh… no…" I said kindly, shaking my head. "She… she just… she just came to meet some old friends."

Victoria and Quaxo didn't quite seem to buy this story but it satisfied them for the time being. "Ooh! Munkustrap! We've been working on your play!" Victoria chirped happily. "Do you think that we could show you what we've been working on? You and Miss Jemima, of course!"

"Oh, really, Munkustrap's quite busy-." Griddlebone protested, looking to me and I shook my head.

"I'm not busy at the moment. Besides, if you really want to show us, you ought to do it!" I proclaimed and the kittens looked at each other happily.

"Well, you see, you start off with narration, right?" Quaxo asked and I nodded.

"That's right." I agreed. "I have to give you all your ques after all!"

"Oh," Victoria grimaced, remembering something. "We can't ever seem to get Mungojerrie to quite catch the timing perfectly. We've tried explaining to him that he has to alternate with Rumpleteazer but he never quite seems to get it right."

"I'll work with him on that later." I promised. "But what was it that you wanted to show us?"

"Well," Victoria said sheepishly. "We've been working on a dance routine, you see?"

"You have?" Griddlebone asked and Victoria nodded happily.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "We have!"

"Victoria loves dancing." I agreed. "She's quite good, actually. Why don't you show Miss Jemima some of this dance routine of yours?" I asked and Victoria's eyes sparkled.

"Would you really like to see it?" she piped innocently and Griddlebone smiled down at her daughter.

"Of course." Griddlebone smiled, nodding. "If you wouldn't mind, of course."

As Victoria and Quaxo excitedly prepped for their presentation, Griddlebone pulled me aside. "If Demie's successfully found Macavity, then she's at the old steel mill. You'll know it when you see it. It's on a dark street and you likely won't see any humans around. It's a notorious, cold place."

"Sounds suitable." I murmured, shuddering a little.

"Promise me just one thing?" she asked, stopping me before I could run off.

Once, I might've hesitated at this question but now, seeing the spark of new life in Griddlebone's eyes, I merely nodded.

"If… if you and Demie ever have kittens… bring them to see me sometime, won't you?"

I blushed a little but nodded and gave Griddlebone my word that I would.

Pulling me into a tight embrace, Griddlebone whispered in my ear. "Thank you."

I nodded and, looking once more to the kittens who were still animatedly discussing what they planned to do, I hurried away before they could miss me.


	21. Chapter 21

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Demeter's POV)

Bomba ran. I only hoped that she wouldn't look back. As soon as she was well on her way down the hall, I started my own sprint. There was, for that moment, no sign of Macavity. It was too easy. He shouldn't be letting us get away. I was wary as I ran, prepared for someone to jump out at me at any given moment.

I saw Bomba make it to the door and I let out a sigh of relief. At least Bomba was safe. At least she would get out. At least I wasn't a complete failure. I kept running, but then, I felt time slow down as I felt a claw pull at my leg, dragging me across the floor. I writhed on the floor, trying to wriggle out of the grasp of the claw holding onto me.

"Ah, you thought you were clever, didn't you?" Macavity snorted.

"Clever enough." I seethed. "Bomba got away. That's what's important. And I won't stop fighting-."

"No, I suppose not. But what good is fighting when you always lose?"

"I have to win sometime." I hissed at him, taking a swipe at him with my claws. Macavity dodged easily.

"And that, Demie, is what losers say."

I smiled at him weakly. "Life's not all about winning and losing."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

For as much as my feet ached, I continued to run. I barely stopped to say hello to anyone as I passed them by. There wasn't enough time.

"Munkustrap!" a broken voice called to me and I stopped, walking backwards a little to see who had spoken.

"Bomba?" I gaped, looking at my old friend in shock. "You're fine? Where's Demie?"

All Bomba could do was shake her head. "Well, I'm fine, yes. B-b-but Demie… I… I don't know where she is. I don't even know if she got out of the steel mill-."

"You escaped?"

"Demie planned my escape and I assume that Macavity has her now. Heavyside knows what he'll do to her when he finds her-."

"We'll stop him before he hurts her." I said calmly, but my nerves were a bundle of horror and anxiety.

"He may have already hurt her. He's ruthless, Munkustrap-."

"I know." I whispered, trying to soothe her. "Come on, we'll… we'll get her out of there-."

"I can't go back." She trembled, clinging to me. "Demie made me promise not to-."

"But-." I began to protest but Bombalurina merely shook her head. "Then I'll go on my own."

"But _you_ could get hurt."

"Bomba, I _have_ to find her." I said, looking into her eyes. "I won't forgive myself if I don't go to her."

"Munkustrap, you have to come back alive." She whispered. "You both do."

###

(Demeter's POV)

Macavity took my chin in his paw and tilted my face up so that he could look at me properly. I closed my eyes, not willing to look into his eyes for a second. "Stubborn, stubborn Demeter." He chuckled, shaking his head. "If you'd have just chosen me over Munkustrap-."

"Never." I spat, hissing at him and he recoiled a little, laughing.

"Why? What makes him so much better than me?"

A soft tear trickled down my cheek and I turned away from him, yanking myself away from him. "Leave Munkustrap out of it."

"Crying for him now, are you?" he asked, laughing at me and I pushed him away from me with all of the strength that I could muster.

"Stay away from me."

Another mocking laugh escaped his lips as he walked out of the room, shaking his head. "We'll see how long you can stay strong. I'm willing to bet that it won't be long before you break down."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I hurried through the streets, each step bringing me closer to Demie.

 _I'll be there._

As I neared the steel mill, the streets grew emptier, darker, sadder, more… hopeless. I passed by yards that once might have been filled with happy, eager children, laughing and calling to one another but had since lost their color. One especially sad house caught my eye, a paling yellow house with an old porch swing swinging creakily in the wind. The paint was chipping off of the house slowly, and a weeping willow tree leaned over it as if crying over the house. I stared at this sad, lonely house and imagined what it must have looked like long ago. I imagined what it must have meant to the people who lived there long ago. I wondered what caused the place to be left so sad, so empty.

Reluctantly, I left the house behind and continued on a little further towards what I knew to be the steel mill from the way in which it towered over every other building in the area. The place was the epitome of desolation and grief. I gritted my teeth and hurried up to it, desperate to find Demeter. She was in there somewhere. She had to be.

###

(Demeter's POV)

With Macavity out of the room, I was able to relax a little. Breathe. Bombalurina was far away from the mill and it seemed that Macavity didn't care to run about looking for her. I hoped and prayed that she would make it back to the junkyard safely. I hoped that I'd get out of the wretched place that Macavity called his home and make it back home, safe. I hoped to see Bomba's face again and for us to run about the junkyard, happy. I promised myself that if I got back, I wouldn't let a single moment go to waste and that I'd live to the best of my ability.

Lost in my thoughts, I felt a smile tug at my lips and I rested my head against the wall, contented for that moment. And, for the first time in days, my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

Hey, everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I last posted a chapter! I've been trying to study for finals and such and have been too exhausted to write as of late! But hopefully I'll be able to tie this story up soon! So, here's Chapter 22!

Oh, and a quick trigger warning: this chapter gets somewhat violent and has some descriptions of injuries. If you're not comfortable with that sort of thing, please proceed with caution! I don't think that any of it is especially vivid but I just thought that I'd give a little heads-up!

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I stared up at the steel mill that loomed over my head like a spectre taunting me. I only imagined that Demeter had realized that while there were many ways to get _in_ the steel mill, there were not nearly as many ways of getting out unscathed. I did not doubt that Macavity had fallen in love with the location due to this fact.

Bombalurina had been too horrified at the idea of her sister still being trapped in the mill to tell me much about where Demeter really was. But, from what I could get from her horrified ramblings, Demeter was somewhere in a room quite a ways off of the ground.

As I quietly made my advancements towards the mill, I felt chills creeping up and down my spine like hundreds of spiders as I heard the shrill cries for help coming from the mill. Every scream led me to wince and pause for a moment, catching my breath. Macavity was playing a treacherous game but so much had already been sacrificed to go back now. And I wasn't going to let Demeter die in there. I wasn't going to let anyone in there die if I could help it.

Long before daybreak, I found myself at the foot of the mill, no longer distanced from it by the large length of path leading up to it.

Screams of the most unspeakable sort radiated through the air and I gulped as I slouched against a few rocks, desperate to catch my breath. If Demeter was, as Bomba had implied, quite a ways up above the ground levels, I quickly decided that climbing up would be the best way of getting to her. I only hoped that Macavity hadn't lost his patience with Demie already.

###

(Demeter's POV)

I suffered turbulent dreams that night. They started out happy with memories of me, Bomba, Munku, Tugger, and even Macavity playing around the junkyard as kittens, having no cares in the world. Then, they turned sour. Macavity slaughtering kittens and leaving the dead bodies of defenseless Queens and Toms in the center of the junkyard for all to see. I'd known that Macavity had committed atrocities. I'd seen them with my own eyes. But I'd never remembered there being so much blood, so much screaming. Then, my dream shot to scenes of my time in the mill. I was backed up against the wall, the horrible sound of claws scratching through metal resounding in my ears. I tried to look around to see where the sound was coming from, to see exactly who—or _what_ —was coming for me but I couldn't. My dream would not allow me to look away from my own withered form and my gaunt, empty eyes that stared in horror at whatever was coming for me.

I awoke panting, still horrified by the images I'd seen in my dreams. More horrifying than what I did see, though, was that of what I did not see. My breathing ragged, I did my best to remind myself of the good that was left in this life of mine that had so soured over the last weeks.

There was not a kind, good bone left in Macavity's body—of that I was sure—but something about what he had said to me earlier left me chilled even as I saw the slight, horrific truth of it all. _"But you might as well see your imprisonment here as a mercy. As long as you stay here, you can put off doing what you so dread."_ I knew what he meant. As long as I remained at the steel mill, I could put all thought of the deal I made with Griddlebone out of mind. And yet, I knew that if I didn't fulfill my end of the deal, Griddlebone had made it clear that she would kill anyone I held dear without remorse. And _that_ was what frightened me. _That_ was what kept me fighting.

The harsh reds of daybreak were spreading across the skies and I gulped, reminded of the horrors that Macavity inflicted on his victims. I knew that I had to get out, but if I was going to do it, I planned to get everyone else out as well. _Heavyside_ knew how long they'd been there. All I knew was that they'd been there for long enough.

I heard the sharp sound of claws scraping their way up the sides of the mill and a chill shot down my spine. I closed my eyes, horrified that the creature from my dream had somehow made its way out of my dream and into this reality that I now had to accept as being my own.

 _You're going to be okay. For Bomba, for Munkustrap, and for everyone else, you_ have _to be okay._ I told myself, shaking my head, trying to force the horrible clawing noise out of mind. I was convinced that it was something I'd conjured out of my head and had somehow convinced myself was real. And then, it stopped.

It was eerily quiet for a few moments and I braced myself for a horrible crash and an earsplittingly painful sound before I watched my own life flash before my eyes. And then, I heard the faint sound of footsteps. _One, two, three, four_. A pause. _Five, six, seven, eight._ A pause. _Nine, ten, eleven, twelve._ The steps grew ever nearer to me, the intruder threatening to show his face to me within seconds.

I clinched my eyes shut, horrified of what I might see. And then, I heard a familiar voice—a voice that I had convinced myself I'd never hear again.

 _Munkustrap._

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

Demeter was curled up by a wall, her face carefully tucked behind her paws and, from what I could tell, her eyes firmly pressed shut. I looked about the room, wondering what could possibly be tormenting her.

"Demie-." I started and then, slowly, I saw her sit up and turn to look at me, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh, thank Heavyside you're alright." I whispered, running to her. "Well, mostly alright." I amended as I took in the sight of the evidence of former injury on her legs and in the battered, bruised nature of her face.

"Munku, what are you doing here?" she whispered even as I looked at her in worry. "You should be back at the junkyard and-."

I looked over at her and smiled weakly. "I couldn't just leave you here."

"B-but how did you find me?" she asked, her voice quaking with fear. I realized that she glanced over at the door every few moments, as if Macavity might barge in at any given moment.

"I… I made a deal with Griddlebone."

" _No_." Demie breathed, shaking her head. "You'd never-."

"I did." I replied firmly. "Don't worry yourself about it. It's over and done now."

"What did you agree to do for her?"

"No time for that now-."

"Munkustrap, she's heartless and cruel. What did she make you agree to?"

I looked at her with a sad smile. "She's not as heartless as all that. She… she might even be my friend." I admitted and she looked at me, perplexed. "She's sad. That's all. So very sad. But I… I hope that she'll be happier now. You know, she _smiled_ at me. But that's not important-."

"Munku, you shouldn't be here." She whispered. "By being here and helping me, you'll… you'll get in trouble with the Jellicles."

"Why?" I asked, bewildered.

"Because if I get out of here, I'll have to kill your father. They'll… they'll see this as you aiding me in killing him. And… and besides all of that, you'll be forced to become the next Jellicle leader and-."

"Demie, Demie." I whispered, shaking my head. "You don't have to kill anyone."

I filled her in on everything that had happened since we'd gone our separate ways. Abridged though this version was, I saw tears rising in Demie's eyes as I told her of Griddlebone's reunion with her surviving kittens.

"Oh, poor Griddlebone…"

I could do nothing but nod. And, glad as I was to see Demeter again, the joy was short-lived as the footsteps of my half-brother resounded loudly through the hall. Demie and I exchanged quick glances of terror. There was nowhere for me to hide. Not in a room so open and empty as this.

My eyes met Macavity's dark, angry eyes as he entered the room and that deranged, evil smile of his broke out across his face.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to join us." Macavity smirked.

I, not knowing what to say, looked down at my paws.

"Don't touch him, Macavity." Demie hissed and the pain that I'd seen in her eyes earlier was replaced with a determination—a fire—that so many would have lost in her condition.

Macavity laughed a little. "Impressive, eh, brother? Our little Demie doesn't give up."

"I'm not _your_ Demie, Macavity." Demeter said in annoyance. "Let Munkustrap alone."

A darker smile crept across his face like a snake slinking its way along the ground craftily. "And why would I do that, Demie? After all, he's the cause of so much of my toil and pain."

"You caused all of that yourself." Demie snorted. "You brought this down upon yourself when you killed all of those cats-."

"Insolent girl-." Macavity hissed at Demie, losing his patience with her. He swung a paw at her, threatening to give her a nasty scratch across her features.

I pushed Demie out of the way and took the blow myself. "Don't hurt Demie. You've already done her enough harm."

I took in the twisted way in which Demie's legs had healed themselves, seemingly from having broken bones. I could barely feel the pain of the scratch on my own face through all of the anger that was coursing through me as I thought of all of the atrocities my brother had committed and inflicted on others.

 _He'll never hurt Demie or anyone else again._ I vowed and yet, as much as I could try to defend Demie from Macavity and his horrible actions, I couldn't stop Demie from throwing herself in harm's way. And I realized that just as Macavity lunged for me and Demie threw herself in front of me, receiving the impact of the blow.


	23. Chapter 23

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Demeter's POV)

Searing pain spread, first through my shoulder and then spiraled down through my spine as Macavity's paw made contact with my shoulder and I flew back, falling to the ground. I gasped for breath and barely succeeded.

Breathing is not something one thinks of often. We breathe without thinking. It's vital but it happens reflexively. As a kitten, Skimbleshanks used to gather us 'round and tell us the things that he heard people say on the train that day. And, one day, he told us about a woman who said: _"One does not love breathing."_ And, true to that statement, I'd never thought about breathing, I'd never thought about how important it was. Until I barely could even take a breath. In that moment, I loved breathing; I missed it.

Munkustrap ran to me and looked at my eyes carefully as if silently assessing if I was alright. "Munkustrap, you need to get out of here-." I whispered, hopelessly nudging him towards the window with the last bits of my strength.

He shook his head adamantly. "Not without you. I came here to get you, Demie, I'm not going back without you."

"But-."

"No." he said firmly. And then, his eyes softening a little, he whispered the words of truth that I so dreaded hearing. " _Demie, you'll die if you stay here."_

I fought back the tears and clamped my eyes closed, not willing to look into Munkustrap's eyes any longer. For weeks I'd known that I was wasting away, but somehow _hearing_ those words voiced aloud tore me apart.

"Demie, there's only so much that your body can take. Y-you've got a heart that will fight and fight and fight but what good is that if your body is broken? Your heart might continue to fight but you… you'll die. And I can't-."

"And yet, if you stay here, you'll die too." I said weakly, glancing over at where Macavity was standing. He was seething in anger but he didn't seem to be going to attack again. I looked back at Munkustrap and nudged him once again towards the window. "Better me than the both of us."

"Not a chance." He smiled, nuzzling me gently. "We're going to get out of here, Demie. And we're going to get out of here together."

And he said it with such confidence that, for that moment, I believed him.

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

Macavity left with a huff when I'd snarled at him to go. I was surprised that he listened to me at all but I counted my blessings and carefully arranged a few sheets that were scattered about the floor in a way that would make it comfortable for Demie to lay on. I smiled at her even as she looked at me in bewilderment.

"Why did you come for me?" she asked quietly when I'd sat beside her. "You… you could have put me far out of mind and yet… and yet you came back for me."

"You think that I could leave you here? Demie, I knew I had to get back to you. From that moment you ran and left me behind I knew that I had to get back to you. And when Jennyanydots told me the story of Griddlebone and her kittens, I… I knew that I had a chance and I took it."

"Did you see Bomba?" she asked quietly. "Is she alright?"

"I saw her. She's alright… just a little startled. And, Demie, _worried about you_. She'll get back to the junkyard just fine, I have no doubt about it."

Demeter nodded and smiled a little at me. "I love you." she whispered to me quietly. "I don't think that I would have ever known if it weren't for the fact that Bomba pointed it out to me. And even then, I don't think that I believed her. But…"

I felt a grin spread across my face and I nuzzled her gently. "I love you too."

At this, Demie smiled at me and scooted a little bit closer to me. Curling herself around me, she fell asleep, her head on my paws. For a moment, I sat there, unsure of what to do. Breaths came slowly, unsurely. And then, after a few minutes passed and Demie didn't stir, I quietly laid down beside her and rested my head gently over hers.

###

(Demeter's POV)

There's a moment when you think that you've lost everything… that you'll never see the light of day again. I suppose that I'd been stuck in that sort of moment for a good several weeks, locked up in the steel mill with no hope of escape. I think that it can be said without much regret that hopelessness is among the worst feelings someone can feel overtake them. For with hope, there's always a way—always a chance—but when there's no hope… well… nothing seems possible. With hopelessness, you're living but you're stuck in-between, having nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. When there's no hope, the light gets blocked out completely. And yet, it takes just the smallest traces of hope to let those little rays of sunshine flood through again and help you find your way once more after stumbling around in the dark for what seems to be forever.

With Munkustrap's arrival, I felt some sort of renewal of hope within me. After arriving at the mill, I was filled with hope, and yet, as time went by, I felt that hope drain from me with every passing moment. And yet, with one smile from Munkustrap, somehow, hope flooded back into me. I thought I was insane for it. If I hadn't found a way out yet, how would Munkustrap find a way out? At best, one of us might be able to find a way to freedom. But both of us? It should have seemed like a ridiculous dream. And yet, the certainty with which Munkustrap promised me that we'd find our way back to the Jellicles and to those that were family to us convinced me that we would get out. And that was enough.

When I awoke, I was overwhelmingly glad for the dreamless sleep that I'd awakened from and yet, I was alarmed to find that Munkustrap was nowhere to be found. He wasn't beside me as he was when I'd fallen asleep, he wasn't pacing about the room, deep in thought. I looked all around me, wondering if he might have gone to some far corner of the room but there was no trace of him.

My thoughts flew to the worst possible situations.

 _Macavity could have dragged him off._ I thought to myself but then, the more rational part of my brain chimed in, scolding me. _Don't be silly. You'd have heard a struggle; you would have woken up._

I gulped, trying to push myself up to my feet. My legs quaked under the pressure of my weight, threatening to crash down to the ground again. Every muscle in my body was fighting to get me to my feet, and yet, it was no use. I collapsed to the ground once more, my muscles and bones aching.

My eyes brimmed with tears as I remembered what Munkustrap had said to me: _"Demie, there's only so much that your body can take. Y-you've got a heart that will fight and fight and fight but what good is that if your body is broken? Your heart might continue to fight but you… you'll die."_

I didn't want to die yet. It couldn't be time, could it? There was so much I had to tell Bomba; so much I had to tell Munkustrap. A few hours ago, I'd thought that I'd have a lifetime to say all of the things I had to say but as those words came flooding into my mind, I suddenly felt as if I might have nothing but a few meager hours left.

What was it that Macavity had sneered at me through that awful smirk of his? _"We'll see how long you can stay strong. I'm willing to bet that it won't be long before you break down."_

And, although my hope had been restored in seeing Munkustrap's face again, I felt the hopelessness wash over me again as I thought of everything that had been said; everything that had been confessed. I wanted to stand up and look for Munkustrap. I wanted to fight Macavity and tell him to never touch me or my friends again. But even in that, I was helpless.

 _Munkustrap said he loved me._ I told myself, trying to bring the hope back to me, to warm me even as the coldness of the mill set in my bones.

 _Or was it all a lie?_


	24. Chapter 24

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

Hey, everyone! Sorry it's been forever since I've posted a chapter! I really do plan on finishing this thing but it might take a little longer than I originally anticipated and planned! That being said, I hope you all continue to enjoy the story! Danke!

*Quick note/warning: There will be some implied (and perhaps not so implied) themes of suicide. I don't believe that it is altogether that intense but if you think that this might bother you I would recommend not reading this chapter! Thank you so much!

###

(Demeter's POV)

I tried to push myself up to my feet but I ended up being able to do nothing but let out a whimper of pain and grief. Munkustrap was nowhere to be found and I was alone again. Alone, left to wait for whatever Macavity had planned for me.

Sounds of footsteps approaching the door of the room I was shut up in indicated that Macavity was on his way to see me. I could only imagine what he might do and how he might react when he found that Munkustrap was gone.

"Am I late?"

I gasped at hearing Munkustrap's voice and for a moment I forgot the searing pain in my legs as I spun around to look at him.

"Not yet." I whispered, still not sure if I believed that Munkustrap was back. "But a few seconds more and you might have been! Where were-?"

"Not now." Munkustrap said, his eyes flying to the door as the footsteps came closer. "I'll explain everything later but not now. For now we've got Macavity to deal with-."

"Did I hear my name?" Macavity's sarcastic, lazy voice filled the room and Munkustrap closed his mouth immediately.

"Wouldn't be surprised." Munkustrap replied coolly. "You always seem to hear your voice everywhere you go."

"Munkustrap…" I hissed in warning.

"No, no, Demie. Let my brother keep talking. He's usually so dull. Give him a chance to be entertaining, if you please. You're stealing his limelight."

A low growl festered in my throat.

Macavity laughed a little at this. "Well, go on brother. You were saying…?"

"Go away Macavity." I managed, allowing myself to slump against the thin leg of the table that was just behind me.

"Or what? You'll growl at me? That's about all you can do right now, isn't it?" Macavity taunted, turning away from Munkustrap to sneer at me. "You put on a tough show, Demie. But we all know that you're slowly crumbling inside. Give up, Demie. This," he said, indicating the room that had been my home for well over a month now with a nod of his head. "Is all you have now. Do you honestly think that you'll ever get out? Look at you. You're injured and pathetic. All you can do at this point is cower behind my brother and put on an act—a show—that you're strong and that you're still willing to fight. But for how long, Demie? How long before you realize that you are not getting out of here? How long before you realize that you and my brother are going to stay here until you die?"

I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. My eyes were tense with hatred as I stared at Macavity, unforgiving.

"Leave her alone, Macavity." Munkustrap hissed. "She's suffered enough at your hands-."

"Don't fight her battles for her, Munkustrap." Macavity scolded mockingly, clicking his tongue. "Demie seems to think that she can hold her own against me. So why don't you let her, huh?"

Munkustrap looked to me, his eyes frightened. I inclined my head, telling him that I was going to be okay.

"I… I won't stop fighting you. Ever." I whispered, pushing myself up a little. "Because… because although you think that I'm wasting away and dying, I know that there is still so much to live for. And that if I give up, I'll be giving up so much. I could be giving away a future that-."

"A future?" Macavity laughed, throwing his head back a little. "What future do you think there is for you? Give up and die, Demeter. You'll save yourself the disappointment that's bound to follow you."

"What disappointment?" I asked through teary eyes. "I have hope-."

"Hope?" Macavity snorted. "You think that you have hope. I rather think that you're blinding yourself from reality."

I nodded weakly, limping towards Macavity. Munkustrap tensed a little but remained where he stood. "Perhaps hope is nothing more than a dream—a foolish dream, even—but it's enough. Perhaps we never get out of here and we never see the junkyard again. But we won't stop dreaming. And anyone could see that this is more annoying to you than anything. You want us to be devoid of all hope. You want us to be afraid of you. But I… I pity you more than anything."

Macavity gnashed his teeth at me. "Fine. Have hope, pity me. See where it will get you."

Munkustrap hissed a little at Macavity, telling him to stop and to leave us alone. But Macavity just smiled his lazy, eerie smile.

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving." Macavity chuckled. "And Demie, do be careful on that leg of yours. It'd be a pity if it never recovered." He called back to me as he left the room.

I looked over at Munkustrap, my eyes watering with tears. "I'm so sorry-."

"Demie, really-." Munku replied, his eyes widening. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. It's not as if-."

"But it's my fault that you're here. It's my fault that you're not out there, living a life."

A sliver of a smile appeared on his face. "Demie, I meant what I said last night. I love you. And when we get out of here, we're going to be happy. I promise-."

" _If_ we get out of here." I shook my head. "It would have been better if you'd never come at all."

"Don't say that!" he exclaimed. "Don't ever say that. Demie, you might think that it would have been easier for me to have left you here and put you far out of mind, but… easy doesn't mean better. If… if I didn't come after you, there would have been so much left unsaid and that would be worse than anything. No, this is not easy. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

I turned away and looked out at the window. "Do you really think that we'll make it back to the junkyard?"

"Of course I do."

I sighed. "I can't even remember what the junkyard looks like. It's been so long and I… I've forgotten."

A soft smile spread across Munkustrap's features. "At the far end of the junkyard, there's a little spot where all of the kittens love to play. They don't have a care in the world for what's going on around them. They don't notice the worrying looks on their parents' faces as they jump about, pouncing on each other. They're blissfully unaware of all of the darkness that comes with growing up. And the best part? They don't _have_ to know. Because, at the end of the day, all there is for them to do is run about and do what kittens do best: be happy.

"Then," Munkustrap continued. "There's Jennyanydot's den right next to where the kittens are always playing. Fitting too, since they're the ones who spend the most time in the infirmary. She scolds them a little, telling them to be more careful but she always laughs and smiles at their stories. She patches them up and, before she can tell them to have care of their injuries, they're saying goodbye and joining the others again."

Munkustrap paused in his describing of the junkyard for a moment and I nuzzled him gently. "I miss everyone so much." I whispered and he nodded.

"Yeah. I miss them too."

"Even Tugger?" I asked humorously and Munku laughed a little.

"Yes. You know, every time I hear a loud crash in this place, I half expect Tugger to rush in here and beg me to tell our father that whatever happened wasn't really his fault." He smiled, shaking his head. "But then I remember…"

"It's painful to be pulled out of those trance-like moments, isn't it? Everything seems so normal for a few moments while you're remembering and then, all of a sudden, it's all ruined when you remember where you are."

Munkustrap nodded softly. "But those are the moments that make us want to keep fighting, Demie."

"I know. But some moments are painful more than anything else. Like when I woke up this morning and you weren't there." I whispered. "I thought that Macavity had dragged you off somewhere and had you killed o-or worse!"

Munku winced a little. "About that…"


	25. Chapter 25

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

Hey, everyone! So, here's the next chapter of _Finding What Was Lost_. As I was writing this, an idea for a new CATS fanfic popped into my head and I hope to start writing it and posting it this summer! At any rate, the first chapter for that one will be up as soon as _Finding What Was Lost_ wraps up (which I anticipate happening quite soon)! Anyways, I'll keep you all posted on how that's coming along!

(Demeter's POV)

"About that… I really am sorry. If I'd known you'd have been so worried, I really wouldn't have run off like that-."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. It was evident that Munkustrap was trying to avoid telling me something. Lying wasn't in his nature but it wasn't unlike him to try and find clever ways around revealing the full truth. He meant well, of course—only did it when he was worried about something—but there simply wasn't time for worrying about me. Not anymore.

"Where were you?" I asked him directly and Munkustrap sighed.

"It's nothing bad—nothing like you're thinking, at least." He replied slowly, clearly cautious of every word he said.

"You're not answering the question." I pointed out. "Where on earth could you have 'run off' to? This place-."

"Isn't as inescapable as Macavity wants us to think." Munkustrap blurted out all at once. "This whole time you've been told that it's impossible to get out without making some sort of sacrifice but really, that's all just a hum-."

I felt a sick feeling well over me as I looked up at Munkustrap. "Y-you mean that-?"

"Well, I'm not saying that it's _easy_ if that's what you're wondering." He murmured, shaking his head.

"So it's my fault that we're stuck here?" I croaked, horrified. If it was my fault-.

"No!" Munkustrap exclaimed, hurrying over to me and staring into my eyes. "It's not… it's not like that. Yes, your condition is well… hindering but even with your full strength, it'd be a difficult task. Listen to me, Demie. The best thing that you can do right now is let your leg heal. I'll figure out the rest-."

"Munkustrap," I said, my eyes filling with tears a little, looking up at him. "Do you think… do you think that you'd be able to make it out of here if it weren't for me?"

"Demie-."

"You have to answer me honestly." I added. " _Do you think that_ -?"

"No." he said simply. "Because… because as horrible as it is, I don't think that I'd survive here for more than two days without you here with me." He admitted. "Demie, you're the reason that I keep fighting to get out of here. So stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault that I'm stuck here. No, it's _thanks to you_ that I haven't given up. And as long as you're around, I don't plan on giving up. Deal?"

I nodded—it was all I could do. All of the things I wanted to say caught in my throat, jumbled and unable to be understood even to me. So I kept my silence and just nodded. Munkustrap smiled lightly at me, pulling me close, nuzzling my cheek gently.

"Just get better, Demie. We'll figure out the rest from there. And we'll get out of here. I promise."

(Munkustrap's POV)

With every passing day, Demie seems to get stronger. The leg doesn't heal all at once and regaining her mobility takes a while and her strength returns to her in stages. As her strength returned and she was, with time, able to run about again, she also became restless. Begging at the end of almost every day if the next day could be the day in which we would make our grand escape. But time after time, I shook my head. This plan… it took precise timing. One minute off and Macavity could catch onto us and drag us right back to the room which had become our prison cell. And that was not something I was going to risk. Much as I hated to admit it, Macavity wasn't a foolish cat and every morning when he came to taunt us, I couldn't help but feel as if he _knew._ As if he knew that we were planning something.

"I don't see what we're waiting for, Munkustrap." Demie sighed, shaking her head one night. "It seems ridiculous to stay when you know a way out-."

"If we mess up, we lose our chance to leave forever. It has to be done just right or else… or else we get stuck here forever."

I could see the disappointment plain and clear on Demie's face. Could I blame her? At this point, she'd already been Macavity's captive for nearly a year.

"I… I'll try to figure it out as soon as I can, Demie. But we… we have to get this right. Just give me a few more days-."

"If you'd just tell me what this plan of yours is, maybe I could help you." She suggested and I looked over at her sadly.

"Perhaps. And yet… perhaps not." I said, knowing full well that I couldn't tell her the contents of the plan. It was a risky plan and she would try to convince me to abandon it if she knew what it was. She'd try to convince me that we could find a different way of getting out of Macavity's steel mill.

Demeter frowned a little and I was worried, for a moment, that she might have guessed that my little plan had a catch or two. But she shook her head and changed the subject.

"You do know what going back means, don't you?" she asked, nuzzling close to me.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"You'll have to continue bearing the weight of the responsibility of taking care of the tribe… you'll have to become the Jellicle leader when your father dies." She said softly.

I sighed, my breathing shaky. "I figure… I figure that we all have to make sacrifices in life. And becoming the Jellicle leader one day will have to be mine. If anything good— _anything at all_ —came out of what Macavity did, it would be that he will never be the Jellicle leader. And if I have to pay the price of that, then I suppose that it's not so bad."

Demie bowed her head and sighed. "Then I suppose that my sacrifice will have to be letting you go…"

I pulled away from her with a jolt, surprised. "Wh-what do you m-mean?" I stammered.

"Like Bomba said… it's just not right for a Queen like me to be with a Tom like you. No one would approve of it and it would be easy to understand why. After all, it's due to me that-."

I pulled her close and buried my face into her neck, not daring to look into her eyes as she spoke. "I don't care what anyone else says. And I told you before: if it weren't for you, I'd not have survived this long. I love you. That's what matters."

"But-!"

"Demie, do you love me?" I asked, pulling away from her a little so that I could look into her eyes.

"Well, of course-." She said unfalteringly.

"Then that's all that matters. And that's got to be enough. We'll figure it out, Demie. We'll do what we have to. But… but don't give up on us already. Not when there's still so much that we can do."

Demeter took one shaky, weak breath and nuzzled me softly. "Okay. But promise me something?"

I didn't say anything, not sure if I could keep whatever promise she wanted me to keep. "Promise me that you'll live."

I found myself unable to breathe and I looked away. I had to.


	26. Chapter 26

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

I woke Demie early in the morning. She'd never been one to be up in a flash but this morning, she was up and ready within a matter of moments. I took a deep breath, knowing full well that with one wrong move, that bright, excited—yet terrified—smile could be wiped off of her face.

My objective was clear: get Demeter out of the steel mill alive.

That was all that mattered. Whether or not I got out didn't matter. It just mattered that I saw Demie run far away from the mill. If she got past the gates, I had no doubt that she'd make it back to the junkyard. And _that_ —getting her back to the junkyard—was the whole reason I'd come after her in the first place. Of course, I hoped that I'd get out too and that we'd get back to the junkyard and start life over again, together this time. But I _knew_ that the chances of that happening were slim.

But we were off to a good start. A really good start.

"Come on." I whispered, directing her to follow me out of the window I had pushed open a few moments before with much effort. "If we go now we'll get a head start. With any luck, we'll be far away from the room before Macavity even realizes that we're missing."

Demeter followed me in silence but the energy radiating off of her was anything but quiet. She was thrilled with the idea that we'd be getting away and she had good reason to be. For the past year, her life had been more-or-less put on hold by Macavity. That ended today. Whether or not I made it out with her was irrelevant. If she got out, she'd be able to start over. And that's what mattered.

We tread carefully along the thin, creaky ledges of the mill. Luckily enough for us, the place remained more intact than not and the possibility of falling was relatively low. Yet, all the same, it was a treacherous path we were taking. One misstep, one faulty, unsure step could cause us to fall. And Macavity would laugh, glad that we finally were done with.

Once we reached a certain point, I motioned for Demeter to start walking ahead of me. This change in positions happened wordlessly but I could tell that Demie's eyes were full of hope. I, on the other hand, couldn't be more horrified. Thus far, it had been easy. Too easy, even.

Yet, we continued on. Demie was not nearly as cautious as I was as she plunged ahead. The uneventfulness of the first part of our escape had boosted her spirits and made her more confident in the idea that we would get out and that we would get out alive. Together.

As we progressed, I found my anxiety and my fear rise, waiting for Macavity to jump out at us out of nowhere and proclaim that we had come so far all for nothing. But as we continued, there was no sign of Macavity. Even the screams that were constantly resounding around the steel mill were eerily missing.

And then, out of nowhere, I heard the loud sound of falling metal. The sound rattled not only my ability to hear, but also my ability to hear for a few brief moments. The world around me was a blur before regaining focus and revealing that I was still alive, still making our escape.

Demeter's response to the sound was to walk faster—almost at a sprint—and I had to hurry to catch up with her. I wanted to tell her to slow down and to save her energy, but I knew that the slightest sound could bring Macavity bounding towards us.

Then, the crashing sound came again. This time, I stopped fully. Demeter, spun around to look at me and I gulped, nodding for her to continue on. This did not bode well for us. Once falling beam could be coincidental. Two within the span of a minute? A coincidence was unlikely.

Steps cautious now, I could sense tension in Demie's steps. The very way in which she carried herself seemed abnormal and stiff. I wanted to call out to her and ask if she was alright but knew that that wasn't an option. Not if I wanted there to be any chance at all of my survival.

Another crash. Demeter collapsed to her knees in utter fear and I closed my eyes, horror filling me. All of the anxiety and anticipation that had been welling up inside of me suddenly burst, rendering me immobile.

"Aww… kneeling, are you?"

"Macavity!" Demeter hissed, anger, fear, and surprise all mingling together in her voice.

"Yes, yes, it's me. Don't be so surprised. Who else comes to visit you?" Macavity taunted, amusement clear and evident in his voice. "That's right: no one."

Neither Demie nor I dared to speak.

"So! What's going on here? A little escape plan?" he let out a horrible laugh. "Didn't really think that you'd get away without me noticing, did you? As I recall, Demeter's had some experience with this. Trying to get away never does go quite as planned, does it?" he said in a mockingly sympathetic voice.

I wanted to take a swipe at him and tell Demie to run but I couldn't bring myself to move.

"Well… this is such an awkward situation. I keep speaking and neither of you does any talking. Really, it's quite pitiful. I feel as if I'm talking too much, don't you?"

"One word from you is more than enough." Demie hissed.

Macavity smiled a slimy, hideous smile. "Well, brother!" he called to me. "Looks like you're in luck. Little Demeter's not given up yet. Still every bit as feisty as ever. You, on the other hand… seem rather… pitiful." He turned to Demie and continued on. "I really don't know why you put up with him. First he lulls you out here onto a dangerous ledge and then he's so utterly terrified of me that he can't even speak."

Demeter shoved Macavity away from her and pushed past him towards me. "Munkustrap-."

"Go, Demie." I managed at last. "I… I can create a diversion. Just run and run and run. Don't look back, just keep running."

"But-."

"Demie, that's the way this has to be. When I came here, I swore to everyone back at the junkyard that you'd come back. And… and you have to. Run faster than you ever have in your life-."

"Munkustrap, you can't mean that you're giving up. N-not after everything-." She whispered but I smiled at her.

"Hey, it's not called giving up." I said back softly. "It's called… it's called making a sacrifice."

"But what if-?"

"No. No time for that. I'll do whatever I can to get back to you. I won't stop fighting, Demie. Just… just promise that-."

She shook her head. "I won't. I can't. Munk, you have to understand that-."

"Say hi to everyone for me, okay?" I whispered and Demie burst out into tears.

"Oh, look, you've made her cry. Well, it's been one hectic day, hasn't it? And it's not even noon yet!" Macavity laughed. "Come on, come on. Let's just all go back peaceably and no one has to get hurt."

I pushed past Demie, coming face-to-face with my brother. "Not a chance."

Then, shooting one last glace at Demie, I threw myself at Macavity, screaming for Demie to run.


	27. Chapter 27

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

Hey, everyone! Hope you're all doing well! _Finding What Was Lost_ is slowly wrapping up and I'm pretty excited about it! There are so many more stories I want to write for you all so I hope to get done with this one soon! I hope to post the first chapter of my next fanfic whenever I post the last chapter of this one so if you think that you'd be interested in that, keep an eye out for it! _Vielen dank!_

###

(Demeter's POV)

" _Demeter, run!"_ Munkustrap yelled as he hurled himself at Macavity.

I stood there, trembling out of fear for Munkustrap. I didn't want to leave him like that, to deal with Macavity. Deep in my heart I knew that the chances of Munkustrap winning in a fight against Macavity were slim. I wanted to help him and take down Macavity as well.

And yet, when Munkustrap stopped for a moment to look at me, I couldn't bear seeing the anguish in his eyes as he screamed for me to run again and I took off, knowing that I could do at least this one thing for him. I could get out of here.

So I ran, carefully making my descent down the walls of the steel mill. Everything about this seemed like a bad idea and I dreaded the thought that, perhaps, I would slip and fall and that all of this would be for nothing. But I kept going anyways, not willing to give up. I'd fought for so long. It would be a disgrace to Bomba and to Munkustrap—the two cats who meant more to me than anything in the world—if I gave up now.

As I ran, I couldn't help but hear the sounds of agony and pain that were echoing all around me as I fled. Every step I took led me closer to the gate leading to the steel mill and I was getting ever closer to regaining the life I'd left in order to seek out my sister. I only hoped that I'd see her again. I hoped that Munkustrap and I both would make it back.

My breath was running short as I finally found my feet touch the ground again and yet. Breathing heavily, I dared to look back at the steel mill, trying to see if I could see where Macavity and Munkustrap were brawling. Munkustrap, it seemed, was holding his own for the time being and that was enough to spur me onward.

I took in one shaky, deep breath and forced myself to hurry onwards. Freedom was in my grasp. Quickening my pace, I rushed towards my long-desired freedom. Just a few more steps and I'd make it. I propelled myself forward, convincing myself that Munkustrap would join me outside of that gate in a little while and that we'd return to the junkyard together, victorious.

When I was little more than three paces away from the gate, I hurled myself forward, jumping to get over the gate. My foot caught on a part of the gate momentarily and, after a little struggle, I tumbled over the fence.

I was free at last.

From where I sat, I watched as Macavity and Munkustrap fought. I could barely make out their slender forms as they swiped at each other. Sometimes it appeared that Munkustrap would prevail, but those moments of relief were soon thrown to the ground and shattered as Macavity came to himself again and threatened to send Munkustrap falling to his death. At times, I could barely make myself watch as terror prevailed over my senses. I wanted to be there, helping Munkustrap. And yet, to go back would be suicide. To go back would only risk making Munkustrap's sacrifice a foolish, helpless one.

(Munkustrap's POV)

At times it seemed as if Macavity's strength would never wane and that fatigue would never get the best of him. I knew that Macavity saw this as nothing more than a joke. It was clear to him from the very beginning that I would be sorely outmatched in a fight with Macavity. He was toying with me. He'd have his fun, and then, when he was bored with me, he'd finish me off.

Our fighting seemed to go on forever. I took a swipe at him with my claws and then he'd swipe at me. I'd lunge at him and he'd hiss. My only joy in it all was that, if Demie had been careful, she'd be safely on her way to the junkyard once more. Perhaps I'd never see her again, but I had to be content with the fact that she'd be safe. She'd be able to start a new life for herself and find happiness.

"What are you smiling about, brother?" Macavity taunted as he hurled himself at me. I nearly lost my footing, but quickly recovered. I wasn't willing to die. Not yet.

"You'll never win, Macavity." I hissed back, throwing myself onto his back. "Demeter's safe now. You… you'll never get to her again."

Macavity cast a look at me and then, with one angry movement, he threw me off of him. I reached for the ledge with one of my paws and barely managed to take hold of it. My eyes widened with terror as Macavity stared at me, furious rage clear in his eyes.

"You _think_ that I'll never get to Demeter again." He crooned. "But then, I suppose that it doesn't really matter, seeing as you won't be around to see it happen. I'd say that it was deeply moving to see you struggling so much for love, but then I'd be lying."

Then, he gave me one of his blood-curdling smiles and, with one flick of his wrist, he made me lose my grip on the ledge and I fell myself falling through the air.

There's a certain thing about falling that I've always detested. That horribly helpless feeling of your stomach dropping as you tear through the air. Perhaps it's the anticipation of finally hitting the ground that makes falling so horrible. But then, who can tell?

(Demeter's POV)

I felt my heart splinter into a thousand pieces as I saw Munkustrap fall from the ledge of the steel mill and I let out a cry of anguish, unable to stifle the sound. I no longer cared if Macavity heard. For all I cared, I could spend the rest of my life in that horrible steel mill with nothing to do but wait for it all to be over. In that moment, I felt as if it were already all over.

Wiping the tears that were streaming down my face away, I jumped over the fence once more, running towards where Munkustrap's body had fallen. Macavity wouldn't care enough to see to it that his brother received a proper burial. After all, it was all a sort of game to him. I hated Macavity more than I had ever dreamed possible. I could forgive him for all of the horrible jeering, tormenting. But I could not forgive him for stealing Munkustrap away from me when I'd only just found him again.

When I found Munkustrap's body, I curled around him in anguish and defeat. I didn't want this to be goodbye. There was still so much that we had to see together, still so much to do and say. Curled around him, I felt him stir a little and I inched back, horrified.

He was wheezing, gasping for breath. I could hear how painful it was for him to take in even a single breath and I was torn between worry and sheer joy that he was alive.

"Munkustrap-?"

"I… I thought-." He started but I shook my head, tears rising in my eyes again.

"That you told me to run?" I asked, half laughing, half crying. Munkustrap managed to incline his head ever so slightly in what I could only imagine was a nod. "You did, yes. But… I… well, never mind that. Munkustrap, we're alive! And… and we're going to make it back to the junkyard."

"Demie-."

"I won't have you arguing with me. Not now. We're going to get you back to the junkyard and we're going to have Jennyanydots fix you up. You'll be better in no time, Munk." I said and carefully helped him up to his feet.

I could only imagine how painful it would be for him to walk, but we had to get him over the gate before we could even think of tending to his wounds.

We moved along slowly and I was careful to make sure that Munkustrap leaned on me as much as possible. Several times he protested, claiming that he could make it to the gate on his own, but I refused to let him walk on his own, fearing that he would be unable to make it over the gate if he used up all of his energy before we even reached the gate.

When we finally reached the gate after what seemed to be an eternity, I carefully hoisted Munk up a little, allowing for him to slowly make his way up the gate, climbing. Climbing was far more tedious and time-consuming but it was safer. If he jumped, he'd be at more of a risk to fall and hurt himself even more. When Munkustrap was nearing the top of the gate, I jumped, making my way to the top so that I could help him to make it over to the other side.

When our paws finally touched the grassy ground that stood as a reassurance that we had made it safely away from Macavity and his lair, Munkustrap let out a breathy, weak laugh and I smiled.

"Come on. Just a little further." I said, knowing full well that, while we were certainly safely away from Macavity's lair, he could still easily come and retrieve us if we remained in such close proximity to the gate. If we made it a little further to a little park that I had passed on my way to the steel mill, we'd be able to rest and I could try and find a way to tend to Munkustrap's wounds to make it easier for him to walk.

###

After I'd tended a little to his wounds, Munkustrap seemed to be feeling quite a bit better and slept a little in the shade of some trees. I watched as a few children ran about in the park, tossing a ball to one another, reminding me of how the kittens always played back at the junkyard. I glanced a little at the horizon, I could see that the sun was setting. The kittens would be being called into their dens by their parents by now.

I sighed and turned to see Munkustrap still fast asleep, unstirring. A few times, I worried that he might have stopped breathing but I was quickly reassured that he was alright when he shuddered every now and again. I smiled softly and curled up close to him, staring up at the sky, unable to coax myself to sleep.

###

Munkustrap woke me early in the morning and it seemed that a long night's rest had done him good. He looked much stronger and healthier than he had the night before. "If we start out now we'll make good progress to the junkyard." He said softly with a light smile.

"Are you sure that you'll be able to walk?" I asked, cautious. I didn't want Munkustrap hurting himself more than he already had.

"I'll manage." He promised. "And, perhaps if we hurry we'll be able to spot Skimbleshanks on his way back to the junkyard on the evening train. If we do, I don't doubt that he'll be able to get us onto the train easily enough." He gave me a small smile. "I do suppose that that will be enough to motivate me to move as quickly as I possibly can."

I couldn't help but grin a little and nodded. "Alright. Let's go and catch that train, shall we?"

###

As hours rolled by, I found my confidence increase that we would be able to catch Skimble on his way home. It would be good to see a familiar, friendly face after all of that time Munkustrap and I had spent with Macavity being our only company aside from each other. And, if we saw Skimble again, that meant that we'd be soon seeing everyone else again.

Making our way through the cities and towns proved difficult and I found myself wishing that I'd left the junkyard more often if only to make navigation around the outside world more manageable. It didn't help that Munkustrap had rarely left the junkyard either. But we managed.

City cats stared at us as if they'd never seen two cats so unrefined. Whenever one who seemed friendly enough stopped by we asked if they knew how we should go about making it to the train station and, springing off of the directions we received from countless cats, we finally made it to the station. I told Munkustrap to wait for me at the platform for a little while as I looked about for some sign that might tell us when the evening train would arrive. After deciding that train stations were horribly unorderly and unorganized, I returned to Munkustrap and we waited. As the sun was only just barely starting to set, I decided that it was unlikely that the evening train had already come and gone.

An hour passed us by and suddenly the station was crowding with people. I took this to be a good sign and hoped that they all were waiting for the evening train to appear.

Then, a whistle sounded and Munkustrap and I jumped up at once, ready to catch sight of Skimbleshanks walking about the train. As the train pulled up to the station, a man in a hat and uniform stepped out of the train and appeared to be checking the tickets of the passengers who were boarding. Even as he stepped out of the train, the altogether familiar orange fur that belonged to Skimbleshanks appeared and Munkustrap and I tripped forward, careful not to get in the way of any passengers.

When Skimble saw us, he let out a surprised meow and hurtled towards us. "Demeter? Munkustrap? But we'd all thought-."

"Well, we're not." Munkustrap said with a light smile.

"No, I suppose that you're not _dead_ but you aren't quite whole, are you?"

"A few broken bones on Munkustrap, but that's all, really. It's far better than what almost happened-."

"I suppose that it's quite a story." Skimble nodded. "And you'll have to tell me all about it later. But for now, follow me."

Munkustrap and I didn't hesitate to follow Skimble aboard the train. When we'd situated ourselves, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. We were finally on our way home.

###

(Quick Note:)

Thanks so much everyone for sticking with this story for so long! I've had so much fun writing it and am pretty excited to finally get to writing the last chapter and an epilogue tomorrow for you all! I hope that you all have enjoyed this story thus far and hope that you enjoy the finale as well! _Danke und tschüss!_


	28. Chapter 28

***I don't own CATS or any of the characters!**

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(Demeter's POV)

As the train brought us back as close to the junkyard as it would go, I woke Munkustrap who had fallen asleep promptly after boarding the train and we followed Skimble. All of us were quiet. After all that had happened and all of the time that had past, it was hard to know what to say.

The walk back seemed familiar and yet altogether strange and foreign. It had been so long since we had first rushed away from the junkyard in hopes of finding Griddlebone and coaxing her into letting us know where Macavity had made his home and where Bomba had run off to. It all seemed to have happened centuries ago and some of it felt altogether imaginary—the sort of thing one would dream up. Yet, Munkustrap's injuries bore testimony to the fact that it all had, in fact, happened. Although they stood as a reminder of what we suffered in Macavity's lair, those injuries also reminded me that we made it out alive and that now we could start over. No more nonsense about not talking to each other because it wasn't "right." We'd come so far and found out so much. It would be a shame to throw it all away and let time bury it all.

Skimble and I helped Munk over the wall of the junkyard, not willing to let him hurt himself again. As we climbed over and took in the sight of everything, I felt tears spring to my eyes. We'd left all of this behind and now we were finally home. It seemed like an eternity of being away and a part of me was horrified that I'd wake up in the morning and still be back in the steel mill with Macavity leering over me, laughing at my dream that had made me feel so much hope.

But as we led Munkustrap to Skimble's den to have Jennyanydots take a look at him and see what she could do, I found myself believing more and more with every step we took that I was safely home and that Macavity would never, ever get to me again.

When we arrived at the den, Jennyanydots stared at us in surprise and disbelief for a few moments before springing into action and fussing over Munkustrap, telling him that he wasn't to move at all until she gave him permission to. After a few quick tests, she deduced that he'd broken a few bones and, when I'd told her what had happened, she said that he was lucky that that was all that had happened.

I had wanted to stay there, making sure that Munkustrap would be alright. For so long, we'd only had each other and it seemed so odd to have others with us again. Others who didn't want to hurt us. Skimble reassured me that he would make sure that Munk would be alright through the night and reluctantly I headed out towards the den where I hoped to find Bomba waiting for me.

When I stepped inside of the den, Bomba was curled up, asleep. It was odd to see her so quiet and restful. For as long as I could remember, she'd stay up all night, running about the junkyard with her friends. But, it seemed, that a lot had changed. As much as I had expected her to be, perhaps, with friends, laughing and talking about something ridiculous, I was glad to see her again, in one piece. As much as Munkustrap had reassured me that when he'd seen her she was well, a part of me felt a twinge of fear that she hadn't made it back to the junkyard.

I quietly went to the far side of the room and dragged out a blanket, draping it around her silently. She stirred a little and her eyes opened ever so slightly. But, it seemed, that was all that it took to wake her.

"Demie? A-are you really-?"

I smiled and hugged my sister. "Yes, I'm back. I'm really, really back. And Munkustrap too."

Bomba began to cry silently and I could feel her shaking. "I thought that I-."

"I told you that I'd make it out and find you again, didn't I?" I smiled, nuzzling her. "And here I am. Back in one piece."

"And what about Macavity?" Bombalurina asked, her voice quaking a little.

"Well, he's still alive, if that's what you mean. But I reckon that we won't have to worry about him for a good long while."

"I hope that we never have to see him again." She whispered and I nodded.

"Me too, Bomba. Me too."

###

(Munkustrap's POV)

After a few weeks under the close monitoring of Jennyanydots, I was well enough again to do as I always did. I walked about the junkyard, making sure that everything was in order and that no chaos was breaking out. It happened every so often that I'd see Vicky and Quaxo running about with the other kittens and I'd be reminded of Griddlebone. Griddlebone, who had been so sad and had been hurting so much. I sometimes found myself wondering if she was alright.

And then, sometimes, I'd see Demeter, sitting in her usual spot, watching over the kittens to make sure that they didn't hurt themselves. I would smile at her and she'd smile back. Sometimes I'd sit with her if I had a spare moment. It always happened, though, that I didn't have nearly as much spare time as I wanted.

"You're working too hard again." Alonzo sighed, shaking his head at me. "You know, I kind of grew to like patrolling the wall at nighttime while you were gone. I could do it for you sometimes. Take some time off. Take a break. _Heavyside_ knows that you work too hard and that you want to do the best job possible. And sometimes that means taking a break."

I raised a surprised eyebrow at my friend. "I guess that my going away did do some good after all."

Alonzo laughed a little. "I daresay so. How's Demeter?"

I smiled. "She's doing well."

"She won't wait around for you forever, you know?" Alonzo told me and I looked over at him, slightly confused. Alonzo sighed, rolling his eyes a little at my lack of understanding. "If you love her, you've got to let her know that. So, I'll patrol the wall tonight and _you_ can go and talk to Demie."

I nodded and headed back down to the junkyard. As I went, I looked back at Alonzo to make sure that he was doing alright and then, when I was satisfied with the fact that he'd be able to do the job, I went on to find Demie.

Demie was in her favorite spot in the junkyard, perched on an old car that had been dumped there by some human years ago. It had been there for as long as I could remember and I smiled, remembering how we all used to love running around this area, playing far after the sun set even though our parents would try and call us in to sleep a little.

"Hey." I said simply, sitting beside her. "Anything interesting going on?"

Demie smiled, scooting closer to me. "Well… since we've come back, I've realized that everything around here in the junkyard is blissfully normal."

"Missing the thrill of being away from the junkyard?"

"No, not at all. It's good to be back. But you know… I can remember why I was so upset with everything when we left."

I nodded, sighing. "But some of it's better, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She smiled, resting her head on my shoulder. "I mean, we've got each other now, haven't we?"

I smiled at her, nodding. "Of course."

"I love you, you know that?" she whispered, smiling up at me.

A grin broke out across my face. "I love you too."

###

(Quick Note!)

Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for reading _Finding What Was Lost_ and I hope that you guys have had as much fun reading it as I have had writing it! I really appreciate all of your awesome comments and really, your comments have been giving me the motivation to keep writing it. To be honest, when I started writing this, I wasn't sure if anyone would like it or read it but I am so glad that some people out there have really liked it!Thank you all for everything!

If you guys are interested in checking out the new story that I'm writing I'll have the first chapter of a new story called _Fallen Angel_ posted by now!

 _Vielen dank für deine Unterstützung! Tschüss!_


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